Double Edged Sword
by Mystic-Scriptures
Summary: It has been four months since Steph helped Scott and her pack stop Gerard and Kanima. Now she just wants to start fresh, balancing her boyfriend, schoolwork, and pack life. But with a pack of alphas coming after Derek and Scott, an evil druid out for revenge and a nogistune taking over her best friend, Steph has a lot more to worry about than PSATS. Isaac/OC Stiles/OC (Not mine)
1. Shared Wounds

9

_Hey there, everybody, here is the second fic for my OC Stephanie McGrath and her adventures in Beacon Hills! If you haven't read my first story, __**Finding me, but Fixing you (formerly titled Fix You: An Isaac Lahey Fanfiction**__), then I would suggest going there first, just so you would get a little background on this story. You can find it right on my profile with my other stories. I'm so excited to explore this character as we go through the trials and tribulations that the pack goes through in the third season. And also, this story will be bringing in my bestie Raven's OC Piper who won't be in this chapter, and whose last name is still being workshopped. I also want to warn everyone now, that I __fully intend on sticking to the canon._ _As for what that will entail for Steph, well you'll have to see. I will be posting this warning every now and again just to make sure there aren't any uproars or big surprises. _

_**Disclaimer: I only own Stephanie, and her storyline, Piper belongs to my friend, and Jeff owns everything else.**_

* * *

_Chapter One: Shared Wounds_

I looked up at Beacon Hills High, playing with the strap of my black suede bundle bag. My hair was up in a high pony, shorter strands slipping out to frame my face as a result of the fresh cut. I was rocking my new look with a large black tunic printed with a large, white Bengal Tiger face, over pale, distressed skinny jeans tucked into my black motorcycle boots. For jewelry I had on a multi-chain necklace with anchor charms hanging from them, with a couple of black leather cuffs and a victorian banded moonstone ring. I enjoyed the irony of the clear stone, given my circumstances, walking up the steps to my first class of the day as the sunlight shone on my shaded face, my aviators, tinting the world a light umber.

It was a new year, and I was excited for the promising potential of a fresh start. I shared most of my classes with my friends, Scott, Stiles, Lydia, _maybe Allison? _along with my steady and amazing boyfriend, Isaac Lahey. _Even if he wasn't here right now. _I had finally found out who I was and was able to be that person without fear of any punishment or scolding. _Unless Derek wasn't satisfied with something you did. _Oh, and not to mention I had finally gotten Derek to properly train me in all things werewolf this summer in preparation of this incoming alpha back, and our ongoing search for Erica and Boyd. It was going to be a better year. _Even if it's starting off with me sleep deprived from __weeks__ of searching for my mate, or from the past week of just waking up screaming every time you felt the torture he's going under. At least right now it just feels like a stomach cramp that won't go away._ I shook my head, at my internal corrections. _Okay, so it's still a work in progress, but hey, it's a new day. Anything could happen. _

My first class wasn't with any of my present companions, or 'the McCall pack' as Isaac and I had grown to call them. _I mean really, even after all that we went through, Scott is still adamant about Derek not being his alpha. Then again, you're not really calling him yours either..__.__you just don't want to leave Isaac alone with him. _Instead, I had Geometry with Sean Murphy from the lacrosse team and Danny. After the whole Fiasco with Jackson, Danny and I had kinda gotten to be close to friends, but with the former Kanima now in London under his dad's orders, I'm not sure. As I looked around the room, seeing only one spot available. It was in front of a pair of twins that I felt I knew somehow, even with having never seen them before now. As I stepped closer, I got the sense that they dangerous as well as something else I couldn't place. _Oh come on, McGrath, you're probably just piecing together that they most likely ride those sexy ass __Ducati__'s that make Scott's dual sport look like a dirt bike. Besides, they're new, and you should make them feel welcome. I mean after all, you aren't the wallflower you used to be. _

I stepped in front of them, smiling slightly before pointing to the seat, "Hey there, is this seat-" The one directly behind it looked up at me, a cold look in what would have otherwise been very warm and invitingly brown eyes. "That is to say...can I...uhm," They both raised an eyebrow at me and I huffed, "I'm just going to sit down now." _Okay..__.__scratch that. You __totally__ are still that wallflower from last year. _

I tried to ignore the amused snorts from behind me and focused instead on pulling out my notebook and promptly doodling in the margins while Ms. Fitzgerald started to draw up point of the syllabus on the board. I knew that this was a bad start and that needed to follow my promise to Scott from this summer, but I was embarrassed and needed an outlet. We had made a pact that we would be better after my lycanthropy made me slip into a nearly failing GPA by the end of last year and well Scott, Scott _did _fail. Two classes, making him have to take summer school._ Eww. _Better people, better friends, better students, better werewolves, and just better entities in general. Stiles teased us and was our personal coach in what he called the 'be a better Scott McCall/ Stephanie McGrath programs.' And it's been doing rather well, granted my people skills and my attention in math were going to need some work. Especially when my phone buzzed and I looked to see it was Melissa McCall. _Why would she be calling me? She knows it's the first day of school, and that Scott and I were trying to keep up with our awesome streak. _

When the buzzing persisted, I sighed _oh for the love of- _"Mrs. Fitzgerald? May I use the restroom?"

She muttered under her breath, waving her hand at me, "Silly girls, always running out with their bags. It's like they are sewn to their hands or something…"

I smiled to myself, knowing that only I could hear it, but then raised an eyebrow as I saw the twins smirk at each other on my way out the door. _Could it be that what I was sensing about them was-_ My phone buzzed again. _Focus on your own problems, Steph, that's what got you in trouble last year. _"Hey Mama McCall, I can't really talk right now I'm in-"

"Steph! Thank God...I just called the school to have you and Scott called to the office, except I told them you knew and that Scott forgot his note." She rambled, sounding slightly unnerved.

"Melissa, what's going on?" I made my way to the front doors, deciding I could meet Scott at his bike. "Why do we need to get out of school?"

"Right, right, sorry I should probably tell you that, sorry sweetie, it's been a hectic morning."

I smiled as she thought to be so mothering and sweet even when she was freaked, "It's okay, just...tell me what's going on."

"It's Isaac. They're about to cart him into surgery in a half an hour and they're going to be shocked when they see that he doesn't need it."

* * *

"You mean to tell me he was here _last night_ and you _didn't tell_ me until twenty minutes go?!" I barked, as we followed Melissa through Beacon Hills General working our way to my mate.

Scott waved his arm towards the wall in a sweeping motion, "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Honestly, I was hoping I didn't have to." She looked at both of us guiltily.

"What do you mean?" Scott said, while I snapped.

"He's my boyfriend, Melissa! He's been missing for _weeks_. With an S meaning _plural_!" I looked her, feeling betrayed. _After all that time that I spend helping Scott back on his feet for you…_

She sighed, looking at us, "Everything that you've been doing Scott, the extra reading, the summer school, saving up for the bike, even though it scares me half to death, Steph finally opening up to us and allowing someone other than Isaac in as she helped you, honey, I just didn't wanna disrupt a pair of such good rhythms." We all stopped as Scott gently moved his mom to the side of the wall by her arm.

"It's not gonna stop." He said, looking into her eyes, "I-I'm gonna be better this year.A better student, a better son, a better friend, a better everything." He opened his arms out, letting them rest on his sides, "I promise."

"And if you really want me to keep opening up and letting people in, you can't keep secrets like this from me." I said, wrapping my arms around myself as I fidgeted, no longer angry, but just worried. I wasn't feeling any pain at the moment, but the absence of it was all the worse, since our new proximity had also gotten rid of the pre-existing ache Isaac had me feeling as well.

She looked between us, a small smile on her face, "Okay. He's in room 215 if he isn't already in surgery."

"Scott smiled, kissing her on the cheek, "Thank you."

"Thanks Melissa," I smiled briefly at her, before following Scott down the hall.

As we made our way to the elevator, I felt a hand clasp my shoulder. Tensing, I allowed myself to unwind when I saw it was Scott, stopping as he pulled me to the side.

"He's going to be okay, Steph. We'll get him out of here, and if he still needs help, we'll take him to Deaton."

I nodded, biting my lip as I looked around, "But what if-" _What if he's not? What if the Alpha pack that Derek told us not to tell you about got to him? What if he-_ I sighed, knowing I couldn't voice my concerns without betraying Derek. "What if we find him and he only healed on the outside? Like what if it's something new?"

Scott took my other shoulder and shook me lightly, "Steph, we're going to get him out of here and he's going to be fine. I Promise." I nodded and he let me go, leading me into the elevator. "Let's go."

As the door closed a guide stick slide between the doors and Scott and I worked to open the doorway. I helped a blind man who stood a couple of inches taller than me, and looked highly fit for a blind guy. He gave me a small smile, speaking with a vaguely english accent, his voice deep, making him sound like he would be somewhere around the same age as Peter.

"Thank you dear," I tensed feeling the same feeling I felt earlier today with the twins, "Would you hit the button for the second floor, please?" The man said, as he turned around to face the door.

Scott looked to the already lit up 2 button, and clicked it anyway, "Yeah."

"Thank you." I smirked, nudging his shoulder.

He looked at me, _"I saw that smartass" _I mouthed, and he shrugged replying, _"I was just being nice." _I covered my mouth to hide my snicker as the doors opened. I waited for Scott to go out first, to see where to go, only for our company to call out to him. "You wouldn't mind helping me out for a second, would you?"

I looked at Scott, trying to tell him not to, but he was already being held by the shoulder, "Uh...sure." I cursed under my breath as they moved forward Scott hanging his head down in defeat, but also pointing me to the right. Sighing in relief I ran off in search of Isaac, hoping Scott wouldn't be too far behind. I rounded corner after corner after corner only to see a large man pushing a wheelchair with an unconscious Isaac. in it.

"Excuse me sir, I was wondering if you could-" I paused, and looked at the man's hand, once again feeling that strange sense I've been getting all day. His gloves had holes in them due to claws like the ones the girl had in the memory Isaac somehow managed to share with me had. Making sure the hall was empty I growled, exposing my own. "Get the _hell away_ from my boyfriend."

He laughed, stepping away from the chair, his eyes glowing red. _Shit..__.__probably should have thought this through. _"You should learn to pick your fights more wisely, little beta. Regardless of your eye color."

"We'll see about _that." _ I ran forward, sliding between his legs, and using the chair to leap onto his back. He anticipated this and threw me into the wall, and grabbing me by the scruff of my neck with one hand, making me curl into myself. I groaned, trying to move, but unable to, kicking uselessly. _Well if that's not me eating my own words, I don't know what is. It's just that kind of day, I guess._

"Such a shame...I was hoping that his little mate would put up more of a fight." My eyes widened, "Oh yes, we saw his mark, and well, unless his mate isn't his girlfriend, it must have been you."

I opened my mouth to say something, but he headbutted me, making me dazed and unable to move, let alone fight. Dropping me into Isaac's lap, he continued moving, pushing us into the elevator. I heard the sound of Scott's boots scuffing the floor and soon he saw us, the door starting to close as he ran forward. I watched uselessly as Scott growled, half shifted and running for the door as the mystery alpha stood expectantly.

I gasped as Scott jumped his way into the small box, crashing onto the floor. I blinked away the pain in the front of my head and struggled to get up, standing guard over Isaac who was still knocked out and not moving. Scott stood up as well, glaring at our foe. Both of them were shifted now, as I stood only half so, the bigger man tossing Scott into the side of the elevator. _I really hope that the force of all this doesn't break the elevator and kill us..__.__that would totally beat any other method of making my first day of school awful..__.__Because you know, of all the things that happened today, school is the biggest priority. _The alpha tossed Scott into the other wall, and into the ceiling, putting me on Wheelchair duty, since there was only so much I would do in the small box, and fighting wasn't it.

I did attempt though, when Scott got held up by his throat, jumping at the alpha only for him to catch me by my own. _Well so much for that plan. It really __is__ just one of those days, isn't it? _ I gagged as he smirked while we struggled to breath.

"Don't you realize what you're dealing with? I'm an Alpha."

The elevator door _dinged_ open, and we were dropped as none other than my own alpha came in, _of course you're only calling him that because he's saving your life for once and not leaving you to fend for yourself, _clawing into his back. Lifting him up, Derek looked to him. _Yup. That's totally the reason, and he's being a badass about it. _

"So am I." He said, tossing him down the hall. Looking down at the two of us, he gave us the unamused look I saw all too often _usually when you're not doing what you're told._ "Aren't the two of you supposed to be in school?"

Scott sighed leaning back against the wall, while I scoffed, coughing lightly, "Oh yeah, you're right, we only just regained use of our lungs, but let's talk about how we should be at school."

Derek fixed me with a look, and shook his head, "Come on, let's get you out of here, I'll grab Isaac."

* * *

I opened the door to the Hale house as Derek carried Isaac up the porch wrapped in a blanket, idly hoping that our fourth member wouldn't notice the fresh paint on the passageway. Scott, however, was on the phone with I think Stiles, so he didn't pay attention. Much like I didn't only catching what Scott was saying as I followed Derek.

"Hey, can you tell me about it later?" He stopped as we rounded the corner and into the room where Peter, Derek and I had researched the Kanima back in May. " All right, then meet me at Derek's." There was a pause, "Just meet us here, okay?" He rounded the corner, looking around before turning to Derek who was crouching on the floor. "You don't still live here, do you?"

I scoffed form my position next to Isaac as I adjusted him on the table, Derek answering for us, "No. The county took it over, but there's something here that I need. It'll help heal a wound from an Alpha."

I nodded looking at Scott as my fears from earlier were about to be confirmed. Both of us looked down at Isaac, Scott surprised.

"Yeah, but it did heal."

"Not on the inside." I bit my lip. _Which is why before going into the hospital today, your stomach has been feeling the way it did._ Derek as he picked some flowers out of the hole he'd been picking at in the floor.

_What the hell do you plan on using that wolfsbane for? And since __when__ did that shit __ever__ cause a werewolf good? _I growled softly, standing in front of Isaac protectively. Neither of them noticed though, so I dropped it, drumming on my thighs nervously.

Scott, looking down at Derek confused, "Hey, are you gonna tell me who that was back there? That Alpha."

Derek looked down hands on his knees while he contemplated whether he should tell him, sighing I spoke instead, "It's a rival pack."

Derek glared at me, but turned back to Scott, "But it's my problem." He nodded thankfully, "I know you wanna help, and you did. I owe you one."

"Me too...you save my and Isaac's asses today." I smiled as Derek grabbed a different herb and stood up.

"Now go home." He adjusted the plants in his hands, "Go back to being a teenager." He came to the tables and handed me a sprig of Wolfsbane, pulling the petals off of the stem, me following suit.

Scott went to leave, but stopped, putting his hand on his arm. I thought back to my phone call with Stiles the other night. _Oh you've got to be freaking- _"Uh, Hey Derek." The alpha turned, "If you wanna repay back that favor now There is something you can do for me."

Derek looked at him, "What is it?"

I growled, slapping my hands on the table, "Scott, being at an alpha level of bad timing, wants you to help him get his stupid tattoo, since he failed the other day."

"Hey it's not _Stupid_ it's-"

"More important than Isaac's life right now? Is that what you were going to say? Because that's pretty much what is being implied here." I snapped, tearing away at the flower that supposedly would help my unconscious boyfriend.

"Hey guys what did I- Woah" We turned as Stiles came into the room. Well, they turned, I continued glaring at Scott, still in complete and utter shock at his tactlessness. "Why is Steph standing over Isaac and looking like she's about to kill Scott?"

Derek sighed, putting his plants down, "Scott wants me to help him with his tattoo, and Steph is questioning his priorities, both of them obviously standing from biased points of view."

"Oh, so you think we should go off getting tattoos instead of getting Isaac's strength back so we can deal with this other pack?"

"No, I'm not saying that, but I'm also saying that we can't exactly help Isaac until he wakes up."

I growled, "_Fine_ get him his stupid tattoo..I'll work on getting these together and in a bag."

The three of them left and I continued my work, blocking out the conversation in the other room. _I don't need to hear about Allison and I didn't need to think about how much of a wreck he was over the summer, and how I had to help him. And I don't need to hear about how he returned the favor when Isaac would go off looking for Erica and Boyd, and I wouldn't hear from him for a days at a time sometimes._ I paused eating half of my ham and cheese sandwich and leaving the other half on a napkin for Isaac. _Who knows when the last time he ate was. _In reality I only ate it so that I had a bag to put the plants in, sealing it shut and putting it into my bag. After I had finished, I sat up on the table, putting Isaac's head in my lap.

Playing with his hair, I sighed, "God...where were you this past week, Baby? You had me worried sick...and at some points you even _had_ me feeling sick with whatever they put you through-" Scott's screams ripped through the silence and I winced, "But hey, at least you don't have to listen as Scott gets his flesh burned away in a stupidly designed tattoo that will always remind him of Allison even after everything she put him through…"

* * *

After Scott passed out, I went in, having vented all that I could to Isaac who hadn't shown any signs of waking. It was there that Stiles told me about the birds attacking their English class and I got a call from Deaton saying that all of the cats at the clinic had committed some sort of violent and nearly impossible suicide. Something big was happening, and I had a feeling that whatever it was, it was only beginning. I crossed my arms looking to Stiles as we waited for Scott, Isaac, or both to wake up.

"Maybe there's some sort of disturbance in the force of nature?" I sighed, seeing a light come acrosse my friend's face, "And yes, Stiles I realize that I just made a Star Wars reference, calm down."

" Hey I didn't even say-"

Scott gasped, looking down his sweaty arm and then up at the three of us, "It worked." He smiled and I rolled my eyes.

I rolled my eyes, tossing him his shirt, "Yup, congrats, you officially have the worst tattoo ever." He glared at me, "Hey, it's not my fault you decided to get your skin burned 60 ways to sunday to get two bands that you don't even have a meaning for on your arm."

Derek gave me a look and backed off, walking with them to the door. Stiles tried to lift the tension, by smiling and looking at the silly thing, "Well, it looks pretty damn permanent now."

"Yeah." We all walked as he pulled down his sleeve, "I kind of needed something permanent. Everything that's happened to us everything just changes so fast. Everything's so," We all paused in front of the steps, "Uh Ephemeral."

I smiled, "You're using my word of the day program I had Danny make for me, aren't you?"

Stiles raised an eyebrow at the two of us, "Studying for the psats?"

We nodded, "Yep."

"Nice."

"Well, I'm gonna stay here with Isaac I'll see you guys later, kay?" They nodded and I head back to the room, only for Scott to stop after he opened the door.

"You painted the door." Derek and I looked up from Isaac, Derek tensing, "Why'd you paint the door?"

"Go home, Scott." I nodded, not wanting to deal with this fight, but Scott wasn't going to back down.

"And why only one side?" Scott flicked out his claws on one hand, peeling away at the paint.

Derek started to move toward him, calling out his name, but to no avail. Scott was tearing at the door like a cat on a scratching post _which I __gotta__ admit is hilariously ironic given that we're part dog. _Until he was able to see the angular triskele of the alpha pack. _Well shit..__.__fun joke time is over now. _Scott looked over at us, finally piecing it together.

"The birds at school and the deer last night just like the night I got trampled by the deer when," he looked to from Stiles to Derek, his hand out towards his friend, " I got bit by the Alpha. How many are there?"

I shrugged, "Oh you know-"

Derek interrupted me, sighing as he kept his voice deadpan, "A pack of 'em." Stiles and Scott looked at us stupidly.

"An Alpha pack," We both said, me adding, "_Geniuses."_

"All of them?" Stiles looked at us like we were crazy. _Trust me, I know how it sounds. I thought the same thing when Peter first told us about it. _"How does that even work?"

Derek shook his head, his arms crossed, "I hear there's some kind of a 's called Deucalion." He looked to me, then back to the boys, "We know they have Boyd and Erica. Peter, Steph, Isaac, and I have been looking for him for the last four months."

"Well, you know, when I wasn't under your mom's request to help you with your schoolwork this summer." I said, winking at Scott, "I've become quite the power napper thanks to those two jobs well three actually..with the clinic..."

Scott shook his head, looking at us incredulously as he walked towards Derek, "Let's say you find them. How do you deal with an Alpha pack?"

Derek looked at him and then Stiles, "With all the help I can get."

"And that includes you, Mr. 'I'm not a hero'." I said, smiling at my human companion. They looked at each other, while I turned to the table and gasped.

Isaac was sitting up, his hair disheveled from when I was playing with it. "Where is she?" the other's turned, while I ran over and hugged him enjoying the feeling of his arms wrapping around me for the first time in weeks. "Where's the girl?"

I tensed, pulling away, and fixing him with a glare. "_What girl_?"

_And you thought that this year was going to be easier…_

* * *

_And there is the first chapter! I hope you like it, it was fun to write, since I had a little more freedom at the beginning and play a little with the mating bond__!__ See, all of that stuff was totally relevant in the other story, and not just forgotten about! Anyway, I hope you liked it, and There's the first episode for you, all done up nice nice. Fave, comment, follow, send any complaints, suggestions or questions, Whatever you can, just let me know what you think!_

_Till next time little __Wolfies__,_

_~Gwen_


	2. Risk and Reward

_Hey guys, hope you liked it. I think I'm going to try a new thing with this story, where I do a recap of the chapter, similar to what they do in teen wolf, let me know if you like it or not! I know it's not as good as seeing the clips, but it's the best I can do._

_**Disclaimer: I have no right to Jeff's work or my friend's OC. I only have the right to Steph and her story.**_

_Previously on DES: _

_Scott and I made a deal to be better people after everything that happened last year. _

"_It's Isaac. He's about to go into a surgery that is going to cause a lot of questions when he gets to it." _

"_I didn't want to disrupt a pair of such good rhythms!"_

"_How many are there?" "A pack of 'em. We know they have Boyd and Erica. And I hear there's __a__ leader__.__He's called Deucalion."_

"_Where's the girl?"_

* * *

_Chapter two: Risk and Reward_

The heels to my boots thumbed against the floor as Isaac and I paced passing each other in front of the big ass mosaic window at Derek's loft. _How many pairs of boots to I even have at this point? I mean the brown and black motorcycle boots, I got for coloring and matching purposes, the taller, riding/military hybrid ones were for variety and on sale… and I have a couple pairs of heeled ones... but what is up with these ranch buckle strapped ones?I think I might have an addiction. _I groaned at my mind's seemingly infinite ability to distract myself as I tried not to think of what were were doing and the potential dangers it could place on my boyfriend. What that is, I'm not even quite sure, just that we were waiting for our 'help' to arrive.I pulled at the hem of my flowy sweater, the lace of my underlying top, tickling at my ribs. Derek was sitting by it, not paying attention to our movements, his eyes intent on the book in his lap. _I mean really? We're not exactly being subtle in our discomfort here, Hale. Now might be a good time to be the alpha you wish you were and offer some reassurance. _I sighed, sitting down on the table, my skinny jean clad legs, tangling over the edge as I turned towards Derek, my knees, and gaze still facing my ever nervous boyfriend.

He clenched his hands, pausing as me moved toward me again with his continued pacing, "You now, I'm starting to not like this idea. It sounds kinda dangerous," He stopped next to me looking at how rapidly I was wearing out my poor sweater's hem, and what this idea was doing to me, "You now what? I _Definitely_ don't like this idea and I _definitely don't like him_."

"I'm going to second him on this, I mean, really, it's only the third day of year and I've already missed a day, of school, and and I don't plan on making it a second because of _him. _And he's late, might I add, so now we are going to be too."

Derek have me a look, but spoke to Isaac while I stopped my leg from it's anxious bouncing, "You'll be fine. And Steph school is the least of your worries." _Says the alpha who got to go through high school before his life went crazy, given that he was raised as a werewolf and had a way bigger back than four teenagers._

Isaac paused at the beginning of the window and we shared a look and sentiment, "Does it _have _to be _him_?"

Derek sighed, "Aside from how annoying it is when the two of you do that, yes, it does. He knows how to do it. I don't." Isaac walked over to the table and I pulled him to me, holding on of his hands in mine. "Be more dangerous if I tried doing it myself."

Isaac interlaced our fingers, while I placed a shaky, but reassuring hand on his chest, looking to Derek, "You know Scott doesn't trust him, right?" Isaac looked down, playing with my hand, as I traced random patterns on his chest, both of us trying to calm down. _Well that's what happens when one of you goes missing and doesn't remember what happened. You freak out, you don't just sit and read a book like it's normal for some psycho to jam his zombie-wolf claws in your friend's neck. _He looked to Derek, " You know, personally, I'd well-" He paused and I nodded, encouraging him, "I'd trust Scott."

"We both do." I said, looking at the alpha with a stern look. _He's actually consistently dependable and genuinely cares unlike you. It's a cruel Irony that he 'omega' is a more of a packmate then your own alpha. _

"Do you trust me?" Derek looked at us, and Isaac faltered, while I decided to stick to the truth.

"Yeah." He said, at the same time I stated, "No,"

They both looked at me, "Sorry, I can't bring myself to trust someone who may save me from an alpha one day, and be perfectly fine to leave me to hunters the next. Or vice versa, as it were."

Derek sighed, "I know that I have messed up in the past, but things are different now, I'm going be there for you, all of you, once we get Erica and Boyd back."

I nodded, "I hope that's true…"

Isaac sighed, and I looked back at him, his hands clenching mine to his chest before dropping them, "I still don't like him."

"Nobody likes him." Derek said, back to reading his book.

"If anyone did, they probably died in some way or another to settle the balance of the universe." I muttered, as the door swung open, and none other than Peter Hale stood there, giving us one of his trademark smirks, making my skin crawl. _Man do I __hate__ this guy. _

"Boys." He looked to me with a dismissive flick of the wrist, "And Stephanie." I shot him a glare as he opened his mouth again, walking over to us only to stop when he was in front of Derek, "F.Y.I., yes, coming back from the dead has left my abilities somewhat impaired, but the hearing still works. So I hope you're comfortable saying whatever it is that you're feeling," He looked pointedly at Derek, "straight to my face."

Derek deadpanned, "We don't like you." slamming his book on the table and standing as I pushed Isaac away to slip off of the table, "Now shut up and help us."

"Then you can go back to your measly existence as a psychopath without a purpose." I stated, as he looked at Derek, leaning back with a somewhat accepting stance.

"Fair enough." He turned to me, his claws extended dramatically, "Though I'd be careful with your tone, Dear: I might misread your hate filled sarcasm with burning passion, and flirt back."

"Well, Jazz hands, I just might keep it up for the sheer pleasure of seeing Isaac rip you limb from limb." I shot back, pointing to my very possessive and very angry looking mate. "He doesn't take to well with people playing with what's his."

"Interestingly, I will again say 'Fair Enough'." he bowed his head, turning to Isaac, "Now. Let's see what's been blocked out of that little curly haired head of yours."

We moved to the 'living room' Isaac taking Derek's chair from before and setting it around the middle of the area. He sat down and I knelt down in front of him while Peter stood near the door again. His hands were resting on his knees, his hands clasped in front of his face. I smiled, trying to hide my own nerves-_and most likely failing, you know he reads you like an open book- _and pulling his face up to look at me.

"Hey," I pressed a kiss to his forehead, looking him in the eyes, "You will be fine, okay? Derek and I are right here." I looked over at Peter who was tapping his foot impatiently and whispered, "Besides, you know if he so much as makes you remember the wrong thing, I'll castrate him where he stands."

He smiled slightly, making me add a wink in for good measure. "I'm right here, Isaac, and I promise you I'm not going anywhere." I said, kissing him softly before going to sit down next to Derek on the couch.

Peter, walked forward, his arms making sweeping motions uselessly as he crossed the room, "Relax. I'll get more out of you if you're calm." Or course this didn't help his victim in the least, only have him follow his movements.

"How do you know how to do this, again?" Isaac was tense, his hands now clenched to the sides of the chair.

Peter looked down at his clawed left hand, "It's an ancient ritual used mostly by alphas," He held his hand up to Isaac's neck, looking to align the claws with the pre-existing marks, "since it's a skill that requires quite a bit of practice." He found the marks and touched his neck, "One slip, and you could paralyze someone." He double checked, as if to prove a point to us, "Or kill them."

"Gee sounds like something that's right up your alley," I muttered, bouncing my knee nervously as I picked at my lip, "'Let's _avoid_ that alley for today."

Isaac nodded, looking at Petere, "You You've had a lot of practice, though, right?"

Peter leaned around, his claws still examining his neck, "Well, I've never paralyzed anyone."

He turned Isaac to face in front of them. I growled lowly at the implied comment and Derek even made a concerned face, but neither of us saying anything. Isaac went to turn around again, his voice having that worried lilt that broke my heart.

"Wait, does that mean that you-" He grunted, making me jump as Peter jammed his claws into Isaac's neck. Derek, held me down while Isaac kicked his legs out and tried to reach around and yank Peter away from him. They both were grunting, Isaac's eyes glowing as well as Peter's. He was shaking as if he was having a miniature seizure, his head throwing itself back. Isaac was still struggling and looked like he was in severe pain. _Oh thank god I'm close to you, baby...I can at least help you after with a wound I know about._ Derek stood up suddenly, looking at them concerned, I took that as my leave to move forward, but Peter called out, making me pause.

"Wait, I see them." He was shaking and breathing quickly, his head looking like he was about to pass out.

"I don't think they can do that for much-" I started only for Peter and Isaac to yell, Peter throwing himself back, and walking to the wall. "Longer." I mumbled, dropping the hand that was holding my lip, my arm slapping against my leg.

I looked to at Isaac as he said leaning forward in the chair, his forearm resting on his leg. When he reached to rub at his neck, I gasped kneeling down and looking at his face, checking everywhere to make sure he was okay, "You're okay, Isaac, you're okay, baby…" He closed his eyes, relaxing as I brushed his hair back and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder as I gently massaged his sore neck. Derek stood next to us and looked to Peter, making me follow his gaze.

He was panting, clenching his hands and fidgeting nervously. It looked weird on him, but strangely familiar all the same. _The mind meld must have made him absorb some of Isaac's personality temporarily. _

Derek looked over at him, staying near the two of us while I continued to sooth Isaac. "What'd you see?"

"It was confusing. Um, im-images." He clenched his fist, shaking slightly, "Vague shapes."

Derek looked at him, trying to direct him to the answer he wanted, "But you _saw _something."

Peter took a breath, slowly returning to his old self, "Isaac found them."

I pulled away and he took hold of his neck, looking at me steadily, but it was more of an intense stare that went through me. "Erica and Boyd?" Derek and I asked, as I smiled, taking Isaac's hand in mine. _I wish he wasn't so tormented by what just happened to see what he accomplished._

"I barely saw them. I mean, glimpses." Peter still wasn't quite himself sounding slightly unsure. _How can something you find so endearing in your boyfriend look so out of place on him? _I rolled my eyes, _Because it's Peter, and insecurity looks wrong on him. And I resent that! I'm trying to make him less insecure thank you very much._

"But you did see them."

Peter looked over at Derek, clenching his hands, "Worse."

"Deucalion." Derek sat down on the couch as I slumped down. _Oh no..._

"He was talking to them. Something about time running out."

I looked over at Isaac, who mirrored my expression, "What does it mean?"

Derek rubbed his hand over his fist, looking at us sadly, "He's gonna kill them."

"No, no, no, no, no, he didn't say that." _Okay, Real Peter needs to come back now and Isaac Peter needs to go the hell away. He's only making things that much worse. _Isaac took my hands in his, resting his lips against them, "He did make them a promise that by the full moon that they'd both be dead."

I whipped my head over to Derek, whose voice was incredulous, "The_ next_ full moon?"

Peter looked to us, tilting his head with a nod, "Tomorrow night."

I stood up with a sigh, pulling Isaac up with me, "Okay, you." I placed my hands on his chest, "Are going to stay here and try to get some sleep while you" I looked over to Derek who raised his eyebrows challengingly, "Are going to come with me to school so we can talk to Lydia and Allison. Scott texted me saying they might have something that'll help. And _You_" I looked at Peter, "I could care less what you do."

* * *

I sat next to Stiles, texting Isaac as Derek stared at the strange bruises on Lydia and Allison's forearms.

**To: Isaac 3 **

** How are you holding up? I know that staying at the loft all day wasn't the ideal time spend during your first few days back, but we need to figure out where they are. And we can be a pack again, and I'll have you with me again. **

"I don't see anything." I looked up as Derek looked at them evenly with crossed arms and Stiles bounced his knees nervously, his hands clenched. I knew that this was driving him crazy and that he was trying to get Scott to stay away from it, but there was only so much we could do. I placed my hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. He smiled thankfully at me, slightly less jitter and we both turned our attention back to Derek and Scott.

"Look again."

"How is a bruise gonna tell me where Boyd and Erica are?" Derek said, looking to Scott then glaring at the two girls in front of him.

"It's the same on both sides." Scott protested. "Exactly the same."

"It's nothing." _Or maybe you just are really unwilling to work with either of these girls, not that I blame you now that I know the whole story about Peter's resurrection, but seriously this is for Boyd and Erica! Get over yourself and step up…..says the girl who still can't get over her own hatred for Argent….__shut up__._

"Pareidolia." Lydia spoke boredly, as if she was in total agreement with Derek. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy, while I nodded. _That actually makes sense, they could just be so worked up and want to make something about it-_I looked up noticing no had reacted to her accusation. _They probably don't even know what it means…._

I laughed dryly, "You'll have to explain it to them, Lyd...in smaller words."

She smiled knowing, "Seeing patterns that aren't there." Still no reaction, "It's a subset of apophenia."

"Which is the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or meaningless data." I said, "for all you guys that are still confused."

Derek looked to Scott with a 'why am I even here' expression as my phone went off and Scott tried to defend his friends. "They're trying to help."

"These two. This one," Derek pointed to Lydia, "who used me to resurrect my psychotic Uncle." He crossed his arms, "Thank you." He pivoted to Allison. "And this one, who shot about 30 arrows into me and my pack." I looked down to my phone, not wanting to be a part of this argument.

**From: Isaac 3**

** I'm doing okay, I guess, just waiting for you to come home. Stop worrying so much, You've been doing too much of that lately, and I know it's because of me. **

**From: Stiles "Little Red" Stilinski**

** Stop flirting with your boy toy for five seconds. I mean really, we're facing the life or death of two of your pack mates. **

**From: Isaac 3**

** Don't worry though, I'll try to make it up to you ;)**

I stretched my lips into an unamused line, as Stiles spoke, acting as if he didn't send the message. _And totally trying to hid the flush from your beau's ever so vague, yet suductive promise..._"Okay, all right, now, come on." He looked exhausted, I wondered if he got any sleep last night, "No one died, all right? Look, there may have been a little maiming," he held a hand down, trying to calm down the thickened tension in the air, "Okay, a little mangling, but no 's what I call an important distinction."

Allison looked to Derek, squinting, "My mother died."

Derek looked at her evenly, "Your family's little honor code killed your me."

"That girl was looking for Scott. I'm here to help him," she shook her head, "not you."

"You wanna help? Find something real. Steph I'll see you at the loft tonight." Derek moved to the door only to be stopped by Scott. I ignored whatever they were going to say, punching Stiles in the arm.

"Oww!" He rolled his neck a few times, in a spastic movement, "What the _hell_ was that for?!"

I glared at him, squinting, "Don't confuse my short lived laughter or small smiles as me not caring what happens to my pack." My expression softened, as I fingered the dog tags engraved with the names of my missing pack mates. _They will always be by my heart, until you return to it. _"Besides, I wasn't _flirting_ with him. I was making sure that he was okay after Peter's attempt to get his memories back today."

Stiles made an oh, expression on his face, "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have-"

"No, you shouldn't have," I pushed on his side lightly, "But I forgive you since he decided to avoid the subject and flirt himself., come on, let's get to Econ."

* * *

"Come on Steph I said I was sorry!" I smirked at his whining while following me through the hall, Scott already in class after our short discussion on possible motives for the pack wanting Erica and Boyd. "Will you please stop running from me?"

I shrugged, "That depends would you keep following me if I were to skip class?" I looked over as he stopped in the hallway, flabbergasted. I giggled, looping my arm through his. "I'm kidding silly, that owuld go against the 'be a better Stephanie McGrath program,' geeze I'm just going to my locker really quick."

He sighed in relief making us both we laugh, while we talked about this party he went to last night. I listened, noticing a slight hesitation in his voice when he talked about his childhood friend Heather. I was about to ask about him if anything special happened, when I noticed a small girl who looked to be in our grade struggling with her locker, a strangely aggressive look on her face. Her dark black hair fell to rest about halfway down her back in waves and she had on a light mustard yellow dress that looked slightly rumpled.

"Hold on a sec, Little Red," I said, tilting my head towards the girl whose locker was giving her troubles for a very specific reason. "Excuse me you-"

"Good God!" she snapped, her voice deeper than I was expecting, but still pretty and feminine "Can I help you?" she frowned only to notice the idiot next to me. I looked at Stiles who was looking at her with a spark of recognition in his hazel eyes.

"Hmm. So you did get a girl - maybe not the one I was suspecting but I'm surprised either way," She said with a grin, "Really didn't think you had it in you."_ Is that jealousy I detect in her voice, but that would mean-Oh God is she saying-? Does she actually think that-?_

I heard the snort and unabashed laugh escape my lips before I could stop it, making Stiles flush lightly and drop our arms as I held my stomach. "Oh my god…" I chortled, "You actually think that"-laughter-"that he- And I are-" I laughed uncontrollably, making her raise her eyebrows at Stiles in a silent question regarding my mental health. _yea I probably do look a little crazy. It's just, __damn that's good__ and I haven't laughed like that in days. _I gasped, finally composing myself. "I have a boyfriend, and it certainly isn't this idiot." I said, still laughing a little as I patted his shoulder, "No offense sweetie."

I thought I saw a look of relief flash across her steely grey eyes, but she covered it with a sneer towards Stiles, "Makes sense, I mean to go from that thirsty ass blonde last night to someone who clearly has had what that girl wanted? It was a jump, I'll have to admit."

I looked to Stiles with a shocked smile, "Heather _put the moves on you_ last night? You didn't tell me _that!" _

"Well, clearly you two have a lot to talk about, so if you'll excuse me-" the girl glared at the locker as if she were going to tear it to shreds, "I need to try and get this damn thing open before my next class."

"About that…" I said, making her whirl around.

"What _now!?" Damn...girl is fiesty._

"That's locker you're having issues with? It's Mine." I said, pointing to it with a crinkled nose.

"Aw Hell...of course it is."

"It's okay, I think you're the one next to me…" I pointed to the one next to her, "I think that the one to the left is my-" I paused touching my dog tags again. "It's my friends." Stiles gave me a sad look but I shook my head, tilting my head toward the girl, who was slamming her locker open now that she had the right combination. "Do you know her?" I whispered.

"Sorta? I saved her from the birds in Ms. Blake's class, and then saw her at Heather's last night, but-" He shrugged, "I don't even know her name." was the hissed response.

I opened my locker, with a wink, "Then go ask her." I pulled out my phone, pausing as I tried to find a way to respond to Isaac when I heard Stiles clear his throat.

"So uh, so you haven't given me your name and it's the third time that we've seen each other in the past two days."

"And?" She shook her head, looking for something in her locker. _Man, this girl is tough as nails. Poor Little Red…_

"And? Can I have it? I mean you have mine and all…" The warning bell rang and I shut my locker, my Econ book in the crook of my arm.

"Gee, I would want _nothing more_ than to provide it for you, but I'm late for my next class." She turned, but not before I saw her matching textbook.

"Small world! We have Econ too!" I smiled, tensing as I thought I saw a flash of something in her eyes. _What is with my wolfie senses going crazy this week?_

"Great...just..._Great." _She muttered while I smirked, deciding to show her my own sass.

"I have a feeling that you don't like us, there, newbie." She glared at me, "Hey, we only just met, after all, I'm a little offended." _Resorting to mimicking Peter, now, Steph? It this what you've succumbed to?_ I shook my head, pulling on Stiles' arm as we moved to class, and thankful that the mystery girl didn't have anything to say. As we got to class things got a little awkward when there were only three seats available in a cluster in the middle of the room. Sighing I sat behind Scott, while mystery girl sat next to me with Stiles in front of her. After the bell rang, Coach came in, slamming copy of the text on his desk.

"The stock market is based on two are they?" I felt a swell of pride as Scott raised his hand, "Yes, McCall, you can go to the bathroom." _Oh shit...That's a little harsh Coach… _I winced slightly as said teacher opened his arms from gesturing to Scott._"_Anybody else?"

I nudged Scott as he dropped his hand, "Go on, show him you mean business."

He nodded, speaking up again, "Uh, no, coach, I know the answer."

Coach fell into a laughter that I could only describe as a hybrid between epic and maniacal _which in reality would match his new too this year. _He looked at Scott, "Oh, you're serious."

"Yes. Risk and reward." Danny spun around, looking at him impressed as I patted myself on the back _figuratively thank god, how embarrassing would that be?_

Coach looked at me, "McGrath are you feeding him answers again?"

I shook my head and shrugged, "I mean I _tutored _him over the summer, if that's what you mean. But since it's not: No, Coach, it's all Scott."

"Wow! Who are you? And what have you done to McCall?" He moved forward, shaking his hands excitedly as Scott got a little flustered, "Don't answer that.I like you better. I like you better." He looked at me with a smile, "I should have you tutor the whole damn team, McGrath gettin' results like this." He turned back to the class "Does anybody have a quarter? A quarter."

I saw Danny and a few others students reach in their pocket's but Stiles got his out first, saying "Yep." However when he pulled out the piece of change, _I'm guessing that Heather did more than just pull the moves on him...she almost did __the__ move…_

Everyone looked to the floor as Coach bend down and handed Stiles the condom, "Stilinski, I think you, uh You dropped this." Stiles took and and Coach took the quarter, giving him an impressed look. _apparently we are just all impressing Coach today, maybe that will make cross country practices less intense...I doubt, it but I can hope right? _"And congratulations." There was scattered laughter over that Scott looking at him with a shocked expression while mystery girl spoke up, while Coach talked about Risk and reward.

She had a grin on her face as Stiles made eye contact with her, her eyebrows raised in an amused expression "So." She cast her eyes downward, _I'm hoping to the condom pocket and not something else because otherwise I would be confused as hell_. "I'm assuming you didn't get any action after all." she paused, "Unless you count what just happened action because that would both me freakish and just plain sad."

I snorted, "How is it you don't know her name, and she already knows you so well, Red?" I said, leaning forward to ruffle Stiles' hair with a smirk and sticking my tongue out at him when he swatted my hand away. Stiles didn't say anything but I got a nod of acknowledgement from the girl, and smiled, as Coach turned to the class having bounced the quarter into the mug. Though I hadn't seen it, the ringing of the metal was still echoing in my ears even as the class applauded.

Coach moved to our row, after tossing the quarter to Danny."Okay, Danny. Risk, reward."

"What's the reward?" _Always the curious one eh, __Māhealani? _

Coach spread his hands out, "You don't have to take the pop quiz tomorrow."

Danny smirked as he said my thoughts, "Coach, it's not a pop quiz if you tell us about it."

"Yea it kinda defeats the term pop quiz. If you tell us about it, you won't be 'popping' it on us unexpectedly." Danny leaned back and we highfived next to Scott, Coach fixing us each with a look.

"Danny, you know, I really expect more from you at this point." He looked back at me, "Really. You too, McGrath. Seriously…" He looked over at Scott, placing the quarter on his desk, " , risk:" He pointed to the quarter and then the mug behind him, "If you don't put that quarter in the mug, you have to take the pop the-" He glared at me then Danny, "the quiz. And! And you have to write an essay. Risk, more work" he held up a fist and dropped it, "Reward" He held up his other fist and blew it opening it, "No work at all. Or choose not to play."

Scott looked back at me then to coach, "But isn't this just chance?" _Really? Is this your way of chickening out of the of chance you __bounce a quarter__ too hard and reveal something? Or are you just __that__ desperate for work._

Coach leaned down, almost as if reading part of my mind, " know your abilities, your coordination, your focus, past experience all factors affecting the outcome." He gestured to the quarter as Scott held it up, "So what's it gonna be, McCall? More work, no work, or choose not to play?" I rolled my eyes as he handed the coin to Coach, "No play." _Oh for the love of, I'll do it for crying out loud. I mean, I'm next anyway, might as well. _

Or not, since Coach decided that going down the row didn't work, he turned to the class, "Okay. Who's next? Who wants the quarter?" Stiles Drummed on his desk with a goofy smile, standing up, "There ya go! There's a gamblin' man! Come on! Step up, step up." he claps a couple of times, leaning over next to his desk, "All right, Stilinski."

I kept my mouth shut, silencing my amusement as he too a ridiculous stance, moving his hips around as he waved his hand back and forth to try and figure out what he needed to do to get the quarter in the mug. Suddenly the door opened, and the his dad was standing there.

"Stiles." Coach stood up, and looked to the door, then back to Stiles, who was so clearly in 'the zone' he didn't notice.

"Yeah, coach, I got it."

The Sheriff tried again, "Stiles."

He stood up, looking at his dad, confused as to why he would be there. As Stiles went to grab his stuff I noticed mystery girl, mirroring his actions, acting jumpy for some reason. As she went to follow him, Coach Spoke up, "Blakewood - where are you going?" _Well, there's a last name as least? Now for a first name and you can find out if she's a threat or not….like those twins..._

"Uhh… the nurse."

Coach raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Killer cramps today and all."

As Coach stood there with a flustered expression I watched 'Blakewood' go out the door with a cocky grin, laughing with the class. After redirecting the class to the game, I went up, listening in the hall to see if maybe the two of them have something to do with the Sheriff being around. _You never know with Stiles...he could have just snuck into the station to impress a girl or something...though it clearly didn't work if it's this girl. _

"Hey wait." there was the sound of a throat being cleared before Stiles continued, "Is everything okay? Are you okay?" _Oh my Little caretaker! Always looking out for others. _

"Yeah. Family issue. Gotta get going. Shouldn't you be worrying about yourself? I mean your dad is here and all…" _Way to ruin the moment Blakewood. _

"Uhh yeah., "Yeah probably."

Her voice went soft for the first time since I met her, "Hey. I'm sure its…Whatever it is you'll handle it." Stiles laughed a little. _Honey you have no idea what he can handle...thing things he deals with on a daily basis-_

"I should…" she said at the same that Stiles went to say, "Could I talk..." _And cute and adorable awkward pause._

"I've got to go." Blakewood said, pausing again before adding, "Good luck with your dad."

There was the sound of footsteps, "Oh and Stiles?"

"Yeah?"

"My names Piper." _There we go that's the ticket that's the-_

Are you going to go throw the quarter at some point today, McGrath? Because I have a full class of students that are three seconds away from laughing you back to your seat."

I snapped my attention back into the class, tossing the quarter to Danny instead, realizing that I didn't really need the reward that such a minimal risk would give me. _Sorry coach, but I've got bigger fish to fry._ Taking a deep breath I pulled out my phone, pulling up my messages. _Starting with getting my pack together and me finally being able to see my boyfriend. _

**To: Isaac 3 **

** We figure out what is locked away in those lost memories, and you got yourself a deal. ;)**

* * *

_You guys met Piper finally! I hope you like her as much as I do! I love her so much, but then again, I also know her a lot more than you guys do since we've been working on random parts of the season three plot and everything, so yea. Uhm. Fave, Follow, Reivew? Just let me know what ya think and I'll keep writing for this character that I love. _

_Cheers, _

_~Gwen_


	3. A Rising Chaos

_**Teen Wolf is Copy Written in Jeff's name, much like Steph is to me and Piper is to my friend.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_You now, I'm starting to not like this idea. It sounds kinda dangerous,"_

"_Isaac found them." _

"_My mom died." "Your family's little honor code killed your me."_

"_Don't confuse my short lived laughter or small smiles as me not caring what happens to my pack."_

"_My name's Piper." _

_It's time we finally recovered Isaac's memories and got my pack back together._

* * *

Chapter three: A Rising Chaos

I held onto Isaac's hand a little tighter as Derek, Scott, and Stiles filled one of the large bathtubs up with ice water, my stomach doing nervous backflips. Isaac was looking at the tub nervously, squeezing back, making us both relax a little more. _It's amazing sometimes, how much our link calms us, even by just entwining our hands._ Deaton looked at us, an understanding look in his eyes.

"Obviously, it's not going to be particularly…" He searched for the right word, as Isaac looked at him. "Comfortable. But if we can slow your heart rate down enough, you'll slip into a trance-like state."

"Like," Isaac looked to me, as if trying to find an alternative name for it, "being hypnotized." He scratched at his nose while the three of us walked over.

" 'll be half 'll let us access your subconscious mind." Deaton pointed to the tub as Isaac, let go of me to crouch along side the tub, his arms resting on the side of it.

Scott looked to Deaton, "How slow does his heart rate need to be?"

"Very slow."

Derek leaned forward, "Okay, well, how slow is very slow?"

"Nearly dead."

I spun to look at my boss, "_Excuse _me?"

Isaac dipped his hand in the water, pulling back with a hiss at it's frigid state, "It's safe, though, right?" He looked at me then at Deaton.

"Do you want me to answer honestly?" _Great so now I have to see him undergo __two_ _methods of memory recovery that would possibly kill him...happy Thursday me..._

" No. No, not really."

I reached down to put a comforting hand to his shoulder, but he held the back of it to his cheek instead, making me shiver at his cold touch. I looked down at his nervous expression and curled my fingers around his grip. _This is going to be rough...if that's what it feels like only dipping a hand in briefly. what's going to happen when we submerge him? _The snap of rubber made us all turn to face the source. Of course, being the worst person ever for fooling around at a time like this, Stiles had pulled on one of the elbow length gloves that Deaton's uses for some of his more...sensitive check-ups. He was wiggling his fingers around, not noticing we were all staring at him. I cleared my throat and he turned.

"What?" Derek raised his eyebrows, while I rolled my eyes.

"Oh just that your fun and games are placed right before we have Isaac come close to killing himself to find the rest of our pack." I shrugged, "Might be a little tactless, dontcha think?"

He sighed, pulling the glove off with an annoyed frown and tossing it to the side. Derek and I looked back to Isaac, who looked even more nervous than before as he stood up. He gave out a long breath, his eyes intent on the tub. _Way to go Steph...you probably made it worse…_

"Look, if it feels too risky, you don't have to do this."

I looked at Derek thankfully, knowing he was doing it for my sake as much as Isaac's. Scott and I nodded, Isaac looking to each of us uncertainly. _Please just don't do this…I don't know if I'll be able to take it, and I won't leave you like this not to just avoid the pain, but either way I have a feeling that they'll have to take care of two people and not just you after all of this…_ He pulled at the collar of his sweater, passing it to me as he pulled it off, exhaling deeply as he looked at the tub. I tossed it onto the table behind us, too worried to even look at his now bare chest. _Well that's a first….If I wasn't I'm impressed. _

He climbed in, gasping as he sat down. Everyone gave him a couple of seconds to adjust, his hand tight on the sides. I gave over, and turned him to face me. "I'm going to right here…" I kissed him, "Try to remember that...maybe it'll help you stay relaxed."

He nodded, already shivering under the intense cold. He leaned forward, bracing himself for what was going to need to be done. Scott and Derek each took a shoulder, Isaac grabbing their hands, and they pushed him under. I bit my lip nervously, letting Deaton take my spot next to him while I moved next to Stiles at the foot of the tub. Isaac was barely under for a minute when he pushed up, half shifted and roaring in pain.

I covered my mouth with my hands, shaking as I watched the boys try to hold him down as he struggled to get out. Deaton had his arms crossed over his chest, but grabbed my shoulders when I went to help. _Which party? The one struggling to be free, or the ones forcing him down?_

I paused, not sure, just knowing that I needed to do _something_. Deaton spoke next to me, his clinical, detached voice on, "Get him back under.- Hold him."

Derek glared over at him, annoyed, "We're _trying_!"

I turned into Deaton as Isaac cried out, his face and neck pulled with the strain. I heard them push him back under, the water sloshing around as he continued to struggle. It didn't last long though, the tub growing silent as his heart rate finally slowed to a near stop. Turning, I pulled away, standing next to Scott as the two of them let him go. Deaton placed a hand on my shoulder, as Isaac floated up, letting out a slow exhale of breath as I did the same, not even realizing I had been holding it in.

"Now, remember, only Stephanie or I talk to many voices will confuse him and draw him out." He looked at me, "And I only really want you to talk to make sure he hears you, and to help calm him down." I nodded, turning back to Isaac's 'sleeping' face.

Deaton spoke first, "Issac? Can you hear me?" He nodded to me.

"Babe, can you hear me too? I'm right here, just like I promised." My voice shook slightly as I watched him lying in the water, shuttering and shivering with his eyes still closed.

Isaac's voice was clear, but emotionless, "Yes. I can hear you, Puffin." I glared at Stiles as he covered a light chuckle, "Both of you."

"This is . I'd like to ask you a few questions while Steph here helps me, Is that alright?"

"Yes."

"We want to ask you about the night you found Erica and Boyd." Deaton kept his voice even as thunder rumbled from outside and I made a note to do the same, "I want you to remember it for me in as vivid detail as possible, like you're actually there again."

Isaac shook his head, starting to move in the tub, the lights flickering, "I-I don't wanna do that. I don't I don't wanna do that." He started to kick out, Stiles holding him down as Derek and Scott grabbed his shoulders. "I don't wanna do that."

"Isaac, it's all relax." Deaton motioned for me to do something, so I reached into the tub, tracing my fingers along his arm, "They're just can't be hurt by a memory."

"I don't wanna do that."

"It's alright, Baby...it's alright," I soothed, trying to convey what I was saying through my touch as I rubbed his arm as soothingly as I could. The water cold prickled at my skin, stabbing at it like a thousand daggers, the chill setting in deeper as I watched Isaac.

"I don't wanna do that." _He sounds so scared...what did they __do__ to you, Isaac?_

Deaton and I spoke together, "Relax...Relax." I let out a sigh as Isaac finally relaxed, his body stilling. I kept up with my comforting motion, however, at this point it was more for my own benefit than his.

"Good." Deaton continued, "Now let's go back to that the place you found Erica and Boyd.

Can you tell me what you see? Is there some kind of building? A house?" He spoke slowly, allowing space for Isaac to say anything if he remembered. At the end, Isaac shook his head, his voice slightly deeper than normal. _Damn it, don't think about how it's his sleepy voice, it'll snap you away from this, and he needs you __right here._

"It's not.. it's not a house. It's stone…." He paused, "I think marble."

"That's perfect. Can you give me any other descriptors?"

"It's dusty, so...empty."

"Like an abandoned building?" I felt him tense under the water, and looked to Deaton concerned, "Isaac?"

I gulped, trying to keep my voice steady, "Isaac? Are you still there?"

"Someone's here." A hand shot up and grabbed Scott's forearm. Taking it, I clasped it as he started to move again, "Someone's here."

Deaton and I spoke together again, "Isaac, relax."

He started to move around again, his hand twisting in mine, "No, no, no, they see me, they see me!" He pulled against us letting out a scream, making me jump back and gasp. _Way to keep calm…Snap out of it, you need to be here for him. _

"Just won't be hurt by your memories .Just relax." He twisted a little still. I rested his hand against my cheek, closing my eyes, _Hiding from what's in front of you no doubt..._"Relax." He stopped moving, "Good. Now tell us what you see. Tell us everything."

His eyes moved back and forth, as if he was in REM and I blinked a few times, as an almost black and white image flashed in my head.

_Isaac was walking up this marble steps, looking around cautiously when he heard a voice. Boyd's Voice._

"_But I can't control it. Neither of us will."_

The image faded and I opened my eyes _huh...didn't realize I had closed them..._Isaac's also open now, the pupil's dilated, "I hear him. He's talking about the full moon, about being out of control when the moon rises."

We all leaned forward, almost crowding him, Deaton's voice now turning less clinical and more conversational, "Is he talking to Erica?"

" I think so, I can't- I can't see her, I ca-I can't I can't see either of them." His speech was now being actively broken up by his shivering. _How much longer can we have him in there before it's too late?_

"Can you hear anything else?"

"They're worried. They're worried what they'll do during the moon." I let out a sigh, glad he was talking clearly now, "They're worried that they're gonna hurt each other."

"If they're locked in together on the full moon, they're gonna tear each other apart." Derek muttered low, making sure Isaac wouldn't latch onto his voice.

Deaton turned to me, whispering, I want you to say this, but sound as urgent as you can." I nodded as he told me what to say.

"Isaac, we need to find them _right now_. Can you see them?" My voice shook slightly, but I covered it by speaking slowly, to set in the importance.

"No." His gaze was up to the light that kept fading in and out. His eyes were fluctuating back and forth between different points of dilation, and I bit my lip nervously, not sure what to think of it.

"Do you know what kind of room it is? Is there any kind of a marker? A number on a door? A sign?"

Isaac gasped, sitting up, "They're here." He whispered, slowly sinking back into the tub as if to hide from something. "They're here- They're."

Deaton and I shared a look speaking, "It's all right-" "N-No-." I went back to grabbing his hand.

"- Just tell us -"

"They see found me." He started to struggle against Derek's hand, "They're here!"

"This isn't working." Derek snapped, yelling at Isaac, "Isaac, where are you?"

"You idiot your voice he'll-" I hissed, but Isaac yelled struggling as Derek held him down.

"I can't see 's too dark!"

"Just tell me where you are." Derek's voice was harsh as he forced a struggling Isaac down.

"I can't see!"

Deaton tried to stop him, "You're going to confuse him!"

"Isaac, where are you?" I fell back my eyes shutting again as I got a flash of the man from the elevator standing in front of some door, "Just tell me where you are."

"His heart rate he could go into shock."

I got up, pushing at Derek with Scott, "Derek, let him go!" Scott growled, as I tried to pull away at his hands, Isaac still struggling.

"Isaac, where are you? What did you see?"

I got another vision, time Isaac was standing from a higher level, looking down at who I now can only assume is Deucalion standing in front of a large, rounded metal door. "A vault! It's a bank vault!"

I jumped back as the scene from one of my dreams came back to me. _That girl that Isaac had been captured by! It actually happened!? _Isaac bolted up, pointing in front of him, "I saw it! I saw the name." He looked around as Scott and Derek pulled him out of the tub, I pushed Derek away, leading Isaac to Deaton, who wrapped him in a towel. "It's, uh B-beacon Hills First National 's, um it's an abandoned bank, and they're keeping them locked inside, inside the vault."

I rubbed at his shoulders, nodding, "I saw it too...I don't know how but I did." He looked at me, and I shrugged, "It was weird every time you saw something I did too…must be part of the mating bond I guess." We looked around and saw the somber expressions on everyone else's faces.

I looked at them all, while Isaac spoke, "What? What is it?"

Stiles closed his eyes opening them as he spoke, "You don't remember what you said right before you came out of it, do you?"

Isaac shook his head, "No."

"Wait...he said something?" I looked to Stiles, confused, "I didn't hear anything…"

"Probably because you were in some form of werewolf trance with your eyes closed." Stiles looked at Isaac, "You said when they captured you that they dragged you into a room and that there was a body in it."

"What body?" We said. _Please don't make it be what I'm afraid it is._

" said it was Erica."

I let out a sob, feeling a chill run through my entire being, "No...No no…" I whimpered, falling into Isaac's chest as he dropped the towel and wrapped his arms around me. "Nonono…"

"She's not Dead!" Derek shouted, standing at the end of the tub.

After Stiles had told us, Isaac led me to the table, putting his shirt back on and sitting on the table. He sat with his legs bend, and positioned me between them, rubbing my shoulders soothingly, holding me to his chest. I just sat there, shivering slightly in in just my half top since Deaton had Isaac take my soaked sweater off, saying I couldn't calm down until my body warmed back up. I didn't move, even ignoring the need to shiver whenever droplets of the icy cold water dropped from Isaac's curls. _She can't be dead...she can't be...my best friend….the girl who was there for me before I had all of these abilities….the girl who helped me through the harder days. She can't be gone._

Stiles spoke up, but I kept my gaze intent on the tub, not willing to look anyone in the eye. "Derek, he said, "there's a dead body. It's Erica." Doesn't exactly leave us much room for interpretation."

"Then who was in the vault with Boyd?" Derek challenged, his tone sharp and full of the denial I was shrinking into.

"Someone else, obviously." Stiles snapped, trying to make us see reason.

"And maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle." Scott said, and I looked up, my confusion overriding my desire to stay out of it. _The one that Isaac was asking about? _"Okay, the one who saved you?" He looked to Isaac clearly having thought the same thing.

Isaac shook his head, gesturing with his hand, a cold setting into my shoulder where it used to be, "No, she wasn't like whoever was in the vault with Boyd was."

"What if that's how Erica died?" I flinched, Isaac shifting as I turned into his chest, _No….stop saying that Stiles...she's a fighter she can't- _" They, like, pit them against each other during the full moons and see which one 's like werewolf thunderdome." _Okay that's just a bit creepy...reading my mind is not what I signed up for, Stiles. Instead let's try to get to them._

Derek looked at me then to Stiles, ""Then we get them out tonight." _Is everyone reading my mind, is that why I've been getting all these looks?_

Deaton looked over to him, while I stayed still, Isaac rubbing my back soothingly. _How ironic that he would be doing that when I've been comforting him. _"Be smart about this, can't just go storming in."

Derek gestured to us with his shoulders, his arms crossed, "If Isaac got in, then so can we."

"But he didn't get through a vault door, did he?" My boss looked at him evenly.

"And let's not forget that he got in only to get caught and be tortured for days." I spat, making everyone look at me in shock._ We'll never know if it's actually her or not unless we save them._ "Deaton's right, you need to think about this."

Scott nodded to me, turning to Derek, "We need a plan."

"How are we gonna come up with a plan to break into a bank vault in less than 24 hours.?"

Stiles flipped through this phone, "Uh, I think someone already did." He read what he'd found, "Beacon Hills First National Closes its Doors Three Months After Vault Robbery." He flipped along the article, "It doesn't say how it was robbed, but it probably won't take long to find out."

"Yea I can work on it with you-" Isaac made a grunt of protest, "From the loft." I corrected, looking down in defeat as he eyed me worriedly as well as hurt that I would spend the night somewhere else.

Derek "How long?"

"It's the Internet, ?" Derek looked at Stiles for elaboration, "Minutes."

* * *

"Steph, you've been at this for hours, come here and talk to me."

"What do you want to talk about?" My hands flurried over the keyboard as I tried yet another set of keywords only to have the screen display the same purple links that I had had already looked at. "How hard it is it for someone to leak a damn route taken by someone who seemed to break into an seemingly impenetrable bank?!" I growled at the computer, about to swing at my computer.

Isaac grabbed my wrist, and I retracted my claws with an exaggerated groan. "Okay crazy pants, time to get away from the laptop before I have to clean out bits of monitor from your arm."

I glared at him playfully while he took both of my hands, blinking my eyes as I realized how dark the room was now. _Whoa...when did the pitch black set in? _Isaac smiled, pulling me towards him until he sat down on the bed, looking up at me. _Oh boy...He's giving me the puppy eyes. _His eyes were an ocean of concern with waves of pleading in them.

"You know it totally would have been worth it…" I mumbled, trying to avoid whatever he was going to have me talk about. I mean really, there was no point to it because I was ready to punch something. "Now stop staring at me like that and just tell me what you want." _Man, he was right, you are a crazy pants right now...sliding right into stage two of grief: Anger._

"How about how you're holding up?" I sighed, his tone making me regret my own harsher one. "Or how we just discovered a mental link between us. Or how we found out about-" I tensed and he sighed, "Or even the fact that you haven't said a word since the clinic until the past few minutes unless it was to grumble at the computer."

"I fail to see a problem with that one." I said. _Especially since talking will make it all the more real and I'll have to face the fact that only one of them is going to be saved while we'll just be retrieving the body of the other._

"You're putting up a front, but I can see what's really going on. Steph…" He stood up, cupping my face in his as he leaned down to meet my eyes. "You _need_ to talk about this… You need to face the fact that-"

"That the very first and only friend I had for two years of my mere 17 is possibly dead due to an alpha pack's unknown agenda? How the hell is that going to help anything?! It's just going to add to pain I've been feeling the past two weeks, and mixing more fear and confusion into it." I burst out, pulling away from Isaac, and crossing the room. I folded my arms over my chest standing at the window of our small room, "I barely even had the chance to enjoy the fact that you're safe and back home with me when more shit hit the fan. I just can't-" I sighed. "I can't add losing Erica to that list. You need to catch your strength, Derek and Peter need to tell us what they know about this Damn pack, we need to figure out what's going on with Allison and Lydia…there's just too many variables, and I..."

I trailed off,dropping my hand in defeat as I looked up at the stars as if they would have the answers to all my questions. _I don't want to be afraid anymore. This year was supposed to be __better._I didn't move, just staring off into space when Isaac came up behind me. I ignored the way his hands were gently massaging the curves of my shoulders, or even when he snaked arm around my waist, my muscles relaxing against my will. _God I hate how just his touch can ground me_. Though when he moved my hair away from my neck, where my mark was, I gave a slight shiver, I still refused to look at him. _If I do, I'll probably break down, getting that much closer to acceptance...as it is I'm pretty sure I'm hitting depression/ bargaining. _When I felt my eyes involuntarily close as Isaac trailed his lips over the mark, kissing right at my pulse point, I was shocked back into the real world again. Spinning, I placed my hand on his chest, glaring at him warningly, but not moving away.

"What do you think you're _doing_?" My voice was caught between a growl and a whisper as I tried to read his expression. It was usually so open, but right now, his eyes were dark, and clouded. _Are you __really__ not seeing where he's going with this?_

"That you need to relax, Puffin. This is too much of a strain to put on yourself." He grabbed my other hand and kissed the back of it, "And you're right, neither of us have really had the chance to enjoy seeing each other after that hell I went through…" I closed my eyes, looking down at his chest to avoid his gaze. _That's right...you've been so scared and worried about what you have been feeling, but you forget that a lot of the pain wasn't yours to bear. _"Hey, I wasn't saying that to make you feel worse. I was saying that this research you're doing isn't helping, but that you do need something to take your mind off of things.." He lifted my chin up to face him. "Let me be your distraction."

I smiled, snaking my hand around his neck and pulling his face close to mine. _I hate it when he gets like this...it's so damn attractive and I can't resist it. _

"You are more than just a distraction to me." I said placing. a slow, but gentle kiss on his lips, loving the feel of him, and enjoying his response, pulling me deeper into him. I pulled away though, making him frown as I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"But I'd say that's the best idea I've heard all day." _Even if I'll have to face my fears sooner or later, at least I can enjoy my Isaac time._

* * *

I met up with Lydia the next day at school, a pile of useless information in my hand. I hadn't really talked to the redhead since the return of Argent, so I made sure to try and redeem myself by wearing one of the outfits she got for me for my birthday. It was way too involved of a present, in my opinion, but she insisted, saying it was to make up for her boyfriend trying to kill me several times before he got fixed. I tucked a few strands of my hair behind my ear, enjoying the short, pleated skirt under the loose fitting blue and white anchor printed tee. It was more of the ankle high platform boots I was having an issue with. The Jewelry was simple and cute with a navy figure 8 knot made of sail rope and fastened with a cold anchor clasp and the brass deep sea diver helmet charm with matching chain. She had finished it with a small grey and floral shoulder bag that barely had room for my regularly pursed items along with my pencil case.

She smiled when she saw me, her hair done up nicely with a small bun pulling away the front most strands. She had on a large almost kelly green fleece jacket over a cute plaid dress that was secured with a small leather belt at her waist. I shook my head at her signature pink leather purse, and didn't even need to look at her feet to know she was wearing a pair of her ever present heels as well. I nodded in greeting, looking cautiously towards Allison as the other girl stood with us a grey plaid knee length coat fastened over jeans and a non-visible top, and boots on her feet. She shifted her own brown shoulder bag uncomfortably as Lydia spoke up ignoring the palpable tension between us.

"I knew it would look good on you! I'm so glad you finally wore it!" She gushed, putting a hand on my arm. I smiled, only slightly tensing slightly at the touch I've gotten accustomed to with the other girl. "I was starting to think you didn't believe me when I told you about my fashion expertise."

"Oh, I know better than to doubt you in that department, Lyds, it' just not something I would typically wear." I said, looking to Allison and back to the redhead. "I take it Scott and slash or Stiles filled you in on what we found out from Isaac?"

They nodded, "Yeah, do you guys have a plan now?"

"Yea, but we're not talking about it until tonight so that 'we', meaning me, are not distracted here." I rolled my eyes. "Like that would stop it...now I'll just be worrying about Isaac more, ya know?"

Lydia nodded while Allison kept her expression unreadable. I could sense a sort of secrecy about her though, and it wasn't helping my trust issues with her at the moment, but when she spoke up I tried to be civil for Lydia's sake._ No use losing the last girl friend you have to the Hunter. We both know that Lydia would choose her over me in a heartbeat._

"So what do we do now?"

I sighed, gesturing around the hall, "Now, you guys go to English while I go to Geometry with the hunky twins."

Lydia laughed, "As if you are actually look at them."

I held a hand to my chest in mock offense, "I may be mated, but I'm not _Dead_."

_Besides I'll need something to distract me from thinking whatever is going down tonight. Something tells me this plan isn't going to go as well as we hope. Whatever the hell the plan actually is? It's going to be chaos…I can feel it._

* * *

_And that's all for that chapter folks! Sorry it's taking so long to get through the one episode! I'm going to try and make it a little better, but I felt like the whole night of them busting Boyd and Cora out would work if I had it all in one chapter. That I'm doing a lot more inner dialogue for Steph this time around, and more of that stuff. So yea! _

_Anyway, love you all and hope you enjoyed (fave, comment, follow etc)_

_~Gwen_


	4. Fireflies and Moonlight

_**Teen wolf is a registered trademark of MTV and belongs to Jeff Daves DES and Stephanie McGrath are © of me and Piper Blackwood is © of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES: _

"_I saw it! I saw the name. ,Beacon Hills First National Bank. They're keeping them locked inside, inside the vault." "I saw it too, but I don't know how…"_

"_You said there was a dead body… You said it was Erica." _

_we just discovered a mental link between us along with everything else and you haven't said a word about any of it!" _

"_How the hell is that going to help anything?! It's just going to add to pain I've been feeling the past two weeks, and mixing more fear and confusion into it." barely even had the chance to enjoy the fact that you're safe and back home with me when more shit hit the fan. I just can't- There's just too many variables, and I.." I don't want to be afraid anymore._

"_Let me be your Distraction." _

_Something tells me that whatever this plan is? It's going to end in chaos._

* * *

_Chapter Four: Fireflies and Moonlight_

I stood over the table, my back to the window as Scott, Stiles, and Derek looked down at some blueprints and floor maps on the other side. Stiles unrolled one, pointing to a point on it with a red marker.

"Okay. You see this? This is how they got in." He looked over at Derek, "It's a rooftop air conditioning vent." He started to gesture all over the map, looking between the three of us, "Leads down inside into the wall of the vault, which is here." He circled a small square next to the big circle that he made of the vault, "Okay? One of the robbers was lowered into this shaft." He paused, his hand over it before he looked at me like he was trying to size me up, "Now, that space is so small, it took him about 12 hours to drill into that wall, which is stone, by the way." He looked to me again, "Then throughout the rest of the night, they siphoned the cash up to the guys back on the roof through that one little shaft in the wall." He slammed the marker down, "Boom."

I tapped at my lips with a loose fist, "Well it's great that we found out how _they_ did it with _money_, but-"

Scott looked to me, reading my thoughts, "Can we fit in there?" I held my hand out with a silent "Exactly".

Stiles nodded, gesturing over the map again, "Yes, we can, but very, very barely. And they also patched the wall, obviously, so we're gonna need a drill of some kind." Derek and I shared a look while he continued, _is he really not seeing what we can do here? "_ I'm thinking maybe a diamond bit…"

Derek leaned on the table his gaze on the map, "Look, forget the drill."

Stiles paused, "Sorry?" He whipped around to face him and I smirked.

"We don't have time for tools we don't have, Red. Hear him out." I nodded to Derek, "I've got a feeling I know where this is going."

Derek nodded, "Most likely, I didn't give you the Bite for your fighting skills." I stuck my tongue out him, making Peter give out a chuckle from his perch at the loft steps. Derek rolled his eyes and looked back to the map, "If I go in first, how much space do I have?"

Stiles looked to me with an 'are you serious?' expression, then to Derek, "What do you... what do you think you're gonna do, Derek?" He pushed off the table as Derek stood up with his arms crossed and walked over to him, "You gonna punch through the wall?"

Derek sighed, amused at his lack of faith, "Yes, Stiles, I'm gonna punch through the wall."

"You know werewolf strength and all that." I said, looking to Stiles like he was an idiot. _Well he's __being__ one right now._

"Okay, okay, big guy. Let's see it. Let's see that fist. Big, old fist. Make it, come on." He mocked, looking to Derek as he slowly lifted one. _This not gonna be good…_ "Get it out there. Don't be scared. Big, bad wolf. Yeah, look at that." Stiles grabbed his wrist and held his hand out in front of Derek's fist about three inches away, "Okay, see this?That's maybe 3 inches of room to gather enough force to punch through solid co…" He let go and Derek just snapped his fist forward, Stiles hand swinging to hit the table with a loud **bang**. He whined, moving away as he nursed his hand, me moving over to examine it while looking at Derek with a semi-scolding, semi-amused expression. _Oh please, you are full on amused right now._ "Ah! He could do it. Ah…"

I started to do what I could to help it hurt less, while Derek spoke, Stiles whimpering every now and again.

"I'll get through the wall. Who's following me down?" He looked around and I looked at Scott. He shook his head, 'not you'. _And why the __hell__ not?! _

Peter looked at Derek as the alpha met his gaze, "Don't look at me.I'm not up to fighting speed yet, and honestly, with Isaac out of commission, you're not looking at very good odds for yourself."

"He still has me and Scott. We'll do fine." I snapped, pulling away from Stiles even as he tried to keep me back with his uninjured hand. "So why don't you take your negativity elsewhere. It's not going to save Boyd and whoever is in there, Erica or no."

Peter fixed me with a condescending smirk, "Didn't you just hear him mock your fighting skills? Even with you taking blows while Scott fights with him, it's not going to be good."

Derek spoke before I could reply, "So I'm supposed to just let them die?"

Peter shrugged slightly, shaking his head as he looked to me, "One of them is already dead." _Don't let that get to you...it'll only let him know you're weak..._

Derek, however, took the bait, "We don't know that."

"Do I have to remind you what we're up against here? A pack of alphas. All of them, killers." Peter snapped, while Stiles and I moved back to the table, the other teen, still trying to shake his wrist out, "And if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant Alpha. I'm sure Erica and Boyd were sweet kids. They're gonna be missed."

"Uh...First off, I don't have any testicles, eww. Second, you are probably the biggest dick on the face of this planet, how the _hell_ are you kajones so small that you are being shown up by _kids_?"

Stiles nodded, and we fist bumped. He placed his hands on the table looking to the other two, "Seconded. And could someone kill him again, please?"

Peter paused, looking to us each with a fixed glare, "Derek, seriously?" He turned to his nephew and shook his head, "Not worth the risk."

Derek sighed, looking to us, "What about you?"

"I think I've made it clear I'm in." I scoffed, "Someone's gotta have balls in this pack."

Stiles shrugged, "Yeah, if you want me to come-"

Derek looked down at the table, "_Not _either of you." He looked at Scott. _Well then...tell us how you really feel Derek...Damn._

"Well then…" I muttered while Stiles pointed to Scott, saying "Got it." and turning to Scott to point to Derek with his thumb.

Scott sighed, looking to us, "I don't know about Erica. But if Boyd's still alive, we have to do something." He turned to Peter, who glared back at him, "We have to try…"

Derek looked to me, knowing that tone from conversations we've had, then back to Scott whose gaze was out the window. "But?"

Scott shook his head, "Who's the other girl?" He looked towards us, "The one locked in there with Boyd?"

I shrugged, "I guess you'll figure it out tonight, won't you?"

* * *

I came down the stairs after checking on Isaac as well as (ahem) some other things and taking a shower. _Thank God they can't hear us down there...I wasn't expecting that to happen until later tonight. Though I guess that the moon has him extra on edge...among other things. I still can't believe I let him take advantage of my raging hormones while Stiles and Peter were downstairs...and that I let him in spite of all my worries. _I tried to make it less conspicuous and put my close from earlier today back on, just switching the skirt for some grey skinny jeans throwing my hair up in a ponytail to hide my drying hair. Unfortunately, I still got a _very _knowing smirk from Peter, while Stiles was too busy looking at the moon. My insecurity was forgotten instantly at the sight of him fidgeting like crazy with his hand to his mouth and the other arm crossed over his stomach.

"You popping adderall when I'm not looking?" I quipped lightly, making him jump.

"No" He said with a half hearted scowl, his gaze still intent on the object tied to my own restlessness, " I just can't take waiting around like this, you know? It's nerve-racking. My nerves are racked. They're severely racked." I nodded, laughing quietly as he drew out the word a second time, "Ra-a-a-acked."

Peter spoke from his lounged position on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee, "I could beat you unconscious and wake you when it's over."

"Or we could take turns beating on _you_ instead?" I snarled as Stiles turned around, his usual joking demeanor nowhere to be seen.

Stiles looked down then at me, a worried look in his eyes. "You think Erica's really dead?"

Peter took it as a question to him, "You think I _really_ care?"

I glared at him, "_I _care, maybe it wouldn't kill you to at least _pretend_ to possess even an ounce of compassion or sentiment." I muttered, the intented venom lost in my own emotions. I turned to Stiles. "I _want_ to think she is safe...but we both know she probably tried to pull something over one of them and they retaliated." I laughed dryly, "We both know she didn't know when to stop that mouth of hers after she got the Bite."

Stiles nodded, walking along the table and moving his arms around. "I just... I don't understand the bank, though, okay? Wha... like, why wouldn't they chain them up in some underground lair or something? They're an Alpha pack, right? So shouldn't they have a lair?"

I sat down from my position on the loft stairway, "It would sure as hell make them easier to find, wouldn't it?"

Peter spoke in a bored tone, his eyes closed as he looked overly relaxed. "They're _werewolves_, not _bond villains._"

Stiles looked up, a sudden thought striking him, "Wait a sec. Wait a sec." He walked over to the big open room that Derek and I had punched open when we first got the place, "Maybe they're living there. You know? Like, maybe the bank vault reminds them of their little wolf dens." He gestured to the open space.

Peter looked at me, "Please tell me he's not serious."

"I'm as lost as you are," I mumbled, "But… we've got nothing but time right now, so let's humor him."

Peter sighed then hissed, "Wolf dens?"

Stiles nodded, his hands on his hips, "Yeah, wolf dens." He turned to Peter, pointing to him, "Where do you live?"

_Oh my….this is going to be good. _"In an underground network of caves hidden deep in the woods."

I held back a laugh, just barely, as Stiles looked impressed, "Whoa, really?"

Peter laughed, "No, you idiot." He became serious again, "I have an apartment downtown."

"Hey I would have believed you on the tunnels, I mean _you _in _civilization? _Talk about slumming it." I smirked, catching the lazily thrown pillow and sitting on it while Peter gave out an annoyed growl.

Stiles shook his head, gesturing with one arm out as he moved towards Peter, "Okay, fine, but still, that just proves that there's something up with the bank. And why wait around for the full moon, huh? Why not just kill them whenever they want to?" He stopped around the desk, both his arms spread wide.

Peter unclasped his hands from his stomach in an 'I don't F#%$ing care' type fashion, "Maybe they think it's poetic."

"Not it's not that….I doubt even someone like this Deucalion guy would care about being poetic. Or that the rest of the alphas would agree to it" I said, resting on my arms on my knees, "It's gotta be something else."

Stiles continued his gesturing, "Besides, they've already had three full moons to _be poetic_."

Peter still didn't look at either of us, "And here you two've only had one full hour to be so annoy-" He opened his eyes, suddenly, a look of realization flashing across his face. _Uh oh...looks like master mind over there figured out our enemy's motivations._

"He came up with something…" I muttered, but Stiles had finally hit his stride in the snark department and didn't hear me.

"No, go ahead, finish what you were saying. we're an... " He moved his hand in front of him as he annoyed the word, dropping it afterwards, "We're annoying. What were you gonna say there?"

Peter sat up, "What are the walls made of?"

Stiles, being the idiot his was looked around the room, "What? Uh... I don't know, like, wood and brick or-"

I got up, meeting Peter at the table as we both looked around the papers, "Not_ here_ you ass!"

Peter nodded, "No, the vault, the vault, the walls, what are they made out of?" he turned to Stiles, then the papers, "Where would it say that? Doesn't say anything." He looked to the human again as he came over to us, "Where... where would it say the materials, the type of stone?"

"I've got nothing…." I muttered as we both looked through the papers. _Where is he going with this?_

Stiles snapped out of it, "Oh.. Oh, hang on. Yeah, here, hang on. Here. It's gotta be in there." He handed Peter a tall pile of papers, and we started to flip through it frantically. We got halfway through, Peter and I sighing in exasperation.

"I hope you didn't just have a useless epiphony, Hale." I growled, "Because we need to be alert in case they need us, and flipping through papers is not gonna-"

Stiles shouted pointing to the page, "There, that's it."

Peter looked at it, "Hecatolite." He muttered, looking to the window.

Stiles and I shared a look, "Is that awful?"

I winced, "Because you know it kinda sounds like it's awful."

"Get 'em on the phone. Call them" We just stood there, "Now!"

Stiles jumped slightly, "Okay, why?" he said, scrambling for his phone while I tried Derek on mine. _Of course he won't answer, but at least it's worth a shot._ I groaned, slamming my phone on the table.

Peter looked at us, "Because Boyd and that girl aren't going to kill each other. They're going to kill Derek and Scott."

_So our assumption about this Hecatolite being awful was in fact correct. Awesome. I __knew__ this shit was gonna end badly. _

Unfortunately we had gotten a hold of them too late, and they had already broken in, Derek and Scott fighting Boyd and some chick named Cora. We tried to talk to them, but Scott's phone must have fallen and the call dropped. Now, we had to figure out what to do, and if the pack will be there to prevent any of us from helping. Well, more like Stiles and Peter talked about what to do while I paced the length of the window, trying to figure out if I should just grab Isaac and go, or wait to see what they came up with. _Do they even know if Erica is alive? Is she there? What if they have someone to keep them in the vault, like a mountain ash circle or something? What to do, what to do?! Maybe I should just-_

"Would you stop that already, you are making me even more anxious!" Stiles yelled, making me stop in my tracks.

"Hmm?" I pulled my hand from my mouth, looking at their exasperated faces, "Right sorry. I just think better when I'm moving. Though I guess it's not helping you guys any." I played with my fingers. Suddenly I let out a sigh, slapping my hands against my legs, "I should have just gone with them instead of listening to Derek or Peter." I glared at the later party, "Taking hits or not, it might have helped of of them to subdue at least one and then leave the other for all three of us to handle. It's better than feeling so useless here when I could be-"

Stiles walked over to me, resting his hands on my shoulder, calming me _He's the only one other than Isaac who can, really, but it's in a different way._ "Calm down there, Xena, they're gonna be fine."

I scoffed, "I'm hardly Xena." I shrugged, "I'm more of a Gabrielle where I want to be fighting with everyone and earning my place with them, but the Xena that is Derek Hale won't let me. Or even Isaac for that matter."

Peter sat back down on the couch, "Okay, you guys are breaching into references that even _I _get no, so let's just stop with geeking and focus on the strategizing."

"Well maybe if you would actually try to help and not just-" I paused, my phone going off at the same time Stiles got a phone call. As I finished reading the text from Derek I ran upstairs to get Isaac. "We need to go. Now. Derek and Scott need our help. Get a jacket and maybe a scarf."

Isaac sat up from his position on our bed, "What the hell is going on?"

"They found Boyd and the other girl, but they escaped." I looked at him, "Isaac they haven't seen the full moon in three months and they are going to kill whoever is in their path."

* * *

We stood at the path near the preserve, waiting for Scott or Derek. I shifted my feet, knowing Derek had said he was nearby, but not able to wait much longer. Isaac looked to me and I could sense he was worried about me but I shook my head, looking around and keeping my senses sharp. We were down two since Peter ran off somewhere and Stiles left after getting off the phone with a freaked out Lydia. Isaac looked over at me and spoke up while I tugged my leather jacket-_Yea I finally caved and got my pack membership item-_ tighter around me.

"So… this other girl, she's-"

"Derek's sister Cora, where is your sudden interest?" I felt my voice falter, and not snap like i wanted it to. _As if your insecurities would ever turn into anger at him_.

He sensed this and came over, about to wrap his arms around me, but I heard someone screaming. Whoever it was reeked of fear, which only made my wolf itch for me to shift. Reigning it all in, I ran taking off near the voice. Isaac followed and we came across the scent of another wolf as well as a human. After running a few miles, we came across a small clearing with a tent and two girls. The one girl was snarling, her dark hair hanging over wolf features, and her breathing a pant as the other girl stood frozen in fear. As she growled, both Isaac and I jumped forward, him taking a page out of Derek's book and getting into a pose while I stood back and waited for her to notice us. As soon as she did, I pounced, jumping over Isaac and punching down on her jaw, landing behind her as Isaac charged after her.

She went to swipe at him, but he punched her down, knocking her to the floor. I stood on her neck as he looked thoroughly pleased with himself. _Which I mean, really, why shouldn't we be? This bitch was super easy to-_ She spun her legs around, clipping me in the jaw and getting up. I stumbled back, as she grabbed Isaac and tossed him up and into a tree branch. I slid down to take her by the ankles, but she grabbed me by my coat and tossed me near it's trunk just in time for Isaac to land on me. Groaning, we both struggled to get up as she approached us. _Okay, bragging moment over...I can see why this is bad now…_ I pushed up on Isaac's chest to get up as Scott jumped over us, kicking her square in the chest. As they both got up, we got up and went to either side of Scott, Derek opposite him as we flanked her on all sides.

There was a snarling match, and I, being impatient as ever, went to attack her, but she grabbed my arm, and pulled it over my head, snapping it in several places and popping it out of it's shoulder. Derek and Isaac chased after her, while Scott stopped to look at the human girl. Groaning I barely caught him telling her to get out of the woods before he helped me to my feet.

"Are you okay?" He looked at my twisted and shattered arm.

"What kind of dumbass question is _that_?" I snarled, trying to roll my shoulder back into place.

"Sorry...what do you need me to do?"

I hissed as I finally succeeded in my task in a series of _very_ painful and irritating pops."Just help me reposition the bones in my arm, and we can catch up to the others." As he did, Derek and Isaac's howls sounded and we ran to them, reaching yet another clearing. "Did you get her?"

Isaac shook his head, "No, we lost her."

"Shit!" I snarled, slashing into shrub. "We aren't getting anywhere with this! We need to figure out a better plan before someone-" Scott's phone rang and I turned to him. "Who the _hell_ would be calling you at this time?"

He answered and I mentally scolded myself as Stiles' voice pierced through the speaker. _Right...of course it's Stiles. Not like Allison is going to help us with her little vendetta against Derek. _

"Are you sure?" We looked at him, me moving to Isaac as I shook my arm to get rid of the last of my pain. The bones finally melding together and the muscles reforming.

_**Yep. Throat ripped out, blood everywhere. It's like the frickin' shining over here. Two little twin girls come out of the woods, start asking me to play with them forever and ever, I'm not gonna be surprised.**_

Scott shook his head, his back to us, "Can you get a little closer to make sure it was them?"

_**Make **__**sure**__** it was them? Scott, who else is going around **__**ripping**__**throats**__**out**__**?**_

Scott sighed and we all shared a look, "Please just do it."

Derek shook his head, his arms crossed, "This doesn't make any sense. The public pool is all the way on the other side of the woods. We haven't tracked them anywhere near there."

I nodded, "Even moon deprived werewolves can't travel that fast."

Scott looked at us in shock, "Derek, Steph, they _killed_ someone."

"No it can't be…" I shook my head in thought. "I mean, can't it?"

"Steph-" Scott tried, but Derek continued with me, a similar look on his face.

"How are they moving so fast?"

Scott snapped, making us look "Derek."

Derek looked at him annoyed, "But they _can't _be that fast on foot."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Isaac grabbed my arm, making me stop. I glared up at him, but his eyes spoke volumes. _You have to let this go...Stiles wouldn't make this up._

Scott was still trying to convince Derek, "They killed someone. Some totally innocent kid is dead... And it's our fault."

I watched as Derek looked down guiltily, his eyes moving along the floor as he avoided all of our gazes, "It's _my_ fault…"

"Derek you can't-" He looked up at me and I paused, knowing there was no talking this out of him. Scott looked at us, still having this intense look in his eyes.

"We need help."

Derek tilted his head to me and Isaac, "We have Isaac and Steph now."

Scott looked to us, "I mean real help."

All three of us looked at him, while I spoke up, "What the _hell _Scott?"

Scott shook his head, "You missunderstand…They're too fast for us, for all of us. They're too strong, too rabid."

"We'll catch 'em." I motioned to Derek giving Scott a look like 'dude, even _Derek_ has more faith in us than you.'

Isaac let go of my arm, looking to Derek, "What happens if we do? We just gonna hold them down until the sun comes up?"

Derek looked to the ground, "Maybe it would be easier ...just to kill 'em."

"Well thanks for that short lived confidence." I muttered, hoping it didn't come to that.

Scott nodded, looking at Derek Sternly, "Killing them isn't the right thing to do."

Isaac, looked at Scott, "What if it's the only thing to do?" I gave him a look, but he continued, "Don't look at me like that, Steph. If we can't even catch them, what else do we do?"

I frowned, "Scott's right, we need help."

"How?" Isaac's voice had a slightly offended tone. _Oh, I'm not allowed to trust Scott like you? Or is that only okay when you agree with him?_

"We find someone who knows what they're doing."

Derek looked at Scott, "Who?"

Scott looked at us like he was surprised we didn't figure it out. "Someone who knows how to hunt werewolves."

I gawked at him, making Isaac look at me confused, "What is it?"

"He wants us to enlist the help of Chris _Freaking _Argent."

* * *

We were sitting in Derek's idling car in the parking lot while Scott snuck up on Argent. Isaac was sitting shotgun with his feet propped up on the dash, his knees bent while he slouched in his seat. I was in the back, but leaned forward to watch what was going on, my hand on Isaac's shoulder.

We all had our eyes forward when Isaac spoke up, "Do you think this is gonna work?"

"Nope." Derek shook his head, while I said, "No way in hell."

"Me neither." He shifted, slightly, giving me a weird look, _What is he up to?_ "So your, uh... your sister…" Derek and I turned to him, with matching faces. _You mean that look you give him when he's in trouble and that you're going to kill him? The very same one. _"Sorry, yeah, it's…" He cleared his throat looking away from us, "It's bad timing, I'm sorry." Derek and I shared a look, but then he continued, "I'll ask later when Steph's not here. It's fine." Derek and I gave him a look again, this time even heavier on the 'I'm going to kill you' side of things, "Or never. Yeah, yeah, I'm good with never."

"Yea, well _I'm _going to be asking later." I snarled, making Derek chuckle. I looked to him, "What's so funny Hale?"

"The fact that I might actually have some piece of mind with Isaac in the dog house." I rolled my eyes and pointed forward.

"Scott's on the move."

After Scott had tricked Argent into coming across the scene of Boyd and Cora's 'crime', we met at the preserve where Derek and Scott last saw their prints. _I doubt that would have been here and then where we are that fast to make those prints, but whatever…_

Chris dropped a duffel onto the floor and crouched over the print, "You're tracking them by print?"

I stood next to Scott, glaring at Isaac as he leaned against a tree acting like he wasn't about to ask about Derek's sister with me in the car. _You don't know __what__ he was going to say...Yea well he __clearly_ _wasn't about to let me hear it though, was he?_

Scott answered, pulling me from my thoughts, "Trying to."

"Well, then, you've been wasting your time. There's only one creature on earth that can visually track footprints, and that's man." He stood up, pointing to Boyd's print, "And if you're not trained like me, you have no idea that this print is Boyd's and these…" He gestured, but then Isaac pointed to it,

"are Cora's." I snarled, making Scott look at me confused, and Isaac a little bashful. _Oh, __now__ he gets it..._

Chris shook his head, "Nope. They're yours." Isaac looked at his shoe and I chuckled, noting that the print was the same size as his sneaker, "You trampled Cora's as soon as you walked over here. Listen, I know the three of you are focusing half your energy on resisting your own urges under the full moon, but that puts you at a severe disadvantage to Boyd and Cora, who have fully given in. They put the pedal to the floor where you three are barely hitting the speed limit." He kept gesturing with his hands, but it was more of a useful motion than any of Stiles' usual flailings. _I hope he's okay...and that Lydia is doing alright...I mean how did she know to find the body?_

Derek spoke up from the other side of me, "So what do we do?"

Chris looked at each of us, "Focus on your sense of smell. Actual wolves are known to track their prey by up to a hundred Miles a day by scent. A trained hunter can use scent to track them. If the wind is with them, wolves can track a scent by a distance of two Miles, which means we can draw them to us... Or into a trap. Full moon does give us one advantage." He opened up the duffel, grabbing goggles, and tossing them to each of us, "They'll have a higher heat signature, which makes them easier to spot with infrared."

Derek looked down at the pair he had, "Thanks, but I've got my own." He flashed his alpha eyes, making me scoff.

"Than give them to the girl who got skipped out on the handouts." I snapped, fixing Chris with a glare.

Chris shrugged, "I ran out."

"Yeah, sure whatever, don't confuse me with your daughter and think I'm not going to fight because you said so."

Chris gave a pensive frown and nodded, his intense green eyes looking into mine, "Fair enough." _God damn when did Allison's dad get so hot? Maybe it's just the moon talking….I mean I still hate him, right? _I shook my head as he continued, "Just remember, we're not hunting wild animals. Underneath those impulses are two intelligent human beings. Don't think they can't rely on that human side. It's suppressed, but it's there, reminding them how to mask their scent, how to cover their tracks, how to survive."

"Great so we have smart, moon-crazed wolves..._perfect._" Isaac fixed me with a look as we all moved to the cliff over looking town. "Be warned, I'm in a mood thanks to you, and don't think I won't stop to beat your ass just because we have bigger problems."

"Steph-"

Whatever Isaac was going to say was cut off by Chris looking to Derek, "When's the last time you saw your sister?"

"Nine years. I thought she died in the fire." I looked to Derek and saw a flash of sadness in his eyes. Before I could stop myself I placed a hand on his shoulder, Chris pushing for more information.

"Do you feel like you have a lock on her scent?" He shook his head, then gave me a thankful look before shaking my hand off his shoulder, "Scott, how confident are you in your skills?"

Scott sighed looking to the town, "Honestly, most of the time, I'm trying not to think about all the things I _can _smell."

Chris nodded, "All right. The problem is when they breach the woods and hit the residential area. Once they're past the high school, they're right in the middle of beacon hills."

Isaac shifted, looking uncomfortable, "They're not gonna kill everything they see, are they?" _Oh god, if that were to happen it would be a bloodbath._ I looked to Chris worriedly, hoping he would say no.

Chris unknowingly complied, "No. But there is an important difference to recognize. Wolves hunt for food. At a certain point, they get full. But Boyd and Cora are hunting for the pleasure of the kill, for some primal apex predatory satisfaction that comes from the ripping of warm bodies to bloody shreds. And who knows when that need gets satiated?"

Scott looked at Chris as if he could sense his thoughts, "We can't kill them."

Derek looked at them, "What if we can't catch 'em?"

"Good god, guys, why do we keep revisiting the killing idea?" I snapped, "Chris, you have that code of yours, _tell _them."

Chris looked around, "Maybe we just need to contain them. There's no one in the school at night, is there?"

Derek looked at him, "You want to trap them inside?"

"Better than killing them." I said, making everyone look at me. I raised my hands in surrender, "Fine. Shutting up."

Chris looked to town, "If there's somewhere with a strong enough door, no windows or access to the outside."

Isaac spoke up, "What about the boiler room?" He met Chris' gaze when the hunter looked at him, "It's just one big steel door."

Chris looked to Scott, "You're sure the school's empty?"

Scott nodded, "It has to be. There can't be anyone there this late, right?"

I clapped my hands, "Well then, let's take these wolves back to school."

* * *

_And that's it for this chapter! I was going to try and keep it all in one chapter, but it got kinda long...I apologize for how dialogue heavey some of the parts are...I'll try to work on that. Anwyay, hope you like it and that you are enjoying the story. _

_Thanks to all who have liked it and followed! Review to let me know what you think!_

_~Gwen_


	5. Unleashing of New Developments

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES: _

"_I'll get through the wall. Who's following me down?" _

"_I just... I don't understand the bank, though, okay? Wha... like, why wouldn't they chain them up in some underground lair or something?"_

"_They haven't seen the full moon in three months!" _

"_Derek's sister, Cora, where is your sudden interest coming from?_

"_Derek, Steph, they killed someone."_

"_Yeah, sure whatever, don't confuse me with your daughter and think I'm not going to fight because you said so." _

"_Maybe we just need to contain them. There's no one in the school at night, is there?" "You want to trap them inside?"_

"_Let's take these wolves back to school then."_

* * *

_Chapter 5: Unleashing of New Developments_

After planting ear-splittingly loud ultrasonic emitters in the ground through the preserve and to the school, Isaac had helped Scott open the front door. While he went to talk to Argent, we moved to the quad, standing near the parking lot. Looking around for any sign of them I spoke with my back to Isaac, my stance defensive.

"So uh...there something you want to tell me?" He turned and I looked at him over my shoulder, "You know...about your sudden interest in Cora."

"Do we really have to do this now?" He had this half pleading, half annoyed tone, making me snarl.

"You're the one who was going to ask Derek later when I wasn't around. I just want to make sure I hear it from _you_ and not _him_ later. Since you're my _mate _and all." I turned to glare at him, my body still tense if need be. _I mean do you really not see what this has been doing to me all night?_

He ran his hand through his hair with a sigh, "I was just going to ask him what he was planning on doing with all of us. In the event of us being able to could save them and if she would she end up staying. The loft is only so big you know?" He looked at me pointedly, "And if you couldn't tell, he's a bit shaken up about the whole thing."

"Yea well if it's so small then maybe I should just-" I stopped, looking up at him as _all _of his words sank in, "Oh so you weren't…." He shook his head, "And I'm just being-" He nodded. I dropped my hands lamely, "Well don't I feel stupid..."

Isaac smiled slightly and went to say something, but I held up a hand to stop him, sensing another entity. Whether it was some_one_, or some_thing_, I couldn't really tell. There was a mask of disdain and disorientation around it, so I couldn't get a good read on it. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

I walked through the parking lot and around a few cars, smelling sweat and more of that disdain. _That can't be them...it would be anger and lot more sweat than just this faint one…_ I moved back to the grass and jolted when I saw a familiar raven-haired figure.

"_Piper_?" She went rigid, Isaac looking at me curiously from where he stood. I nodded towards her and went to investigate.

When I moved into her sight she, snapped at me accusingly, a defensive air around her, "What are you doing here?"

I looked at the small girl in her jeans, and cardigan covered floral top. _Well same to you sister, and..oh shit! She's a wolf...that's what I was sensing...which means that- _I shook my head, _one problem at a time. _

"What are you doing here?" I snapped, defensive as Isaac walked up behind me. He sighed, and I turned to see him open his mouth to say something. He tensed, though, not saying anything as we heard growling behind us.

"Oh Great." He whispered and we turned to see Boyd and Cora.

"Oh hell." Piper muttered in agreement while I positioned myself in front of her: Derek had once told us Omegas were weaker, and I didn't want to risk it with her.

"Remember the plan," I whispered to Isaac, making both of us crouch slightly, our eyes glowing and our fangs out. I stood tense, waiting for Argent to do his part. _Not that I like having to rely on a hunter that would have sooner killed me last year..._

The two wolves went to lunge forward, but bright headlights indicated we needed to move and we did. I had turned to grab for Piper as the other two ran straight for the school to avoid the lights, but she was gone. I turned to Isaac, my eyes wide. He shook his head. _Crap he didn't see where she went? What the hell is she doing here and where was her pack….was she part of-_ The sound of metal being scratched made me turn and watch uselessly as our escapees climbed over the school. Grabbing Isaac's arm, I pulled him to the doors where Derek met us with a wide shrug.

"Well what do we do now?" I panted, slightly out of breath with everything.

Chris turned to us, "The rear doors, someone has to get them open."

Scott looked to the school, "Someone has to drive them inside."

Electricity crackled making the hair's on my neck stick up. Chris was holding one of those electric batons, and he'd turned it on, "I'll go."

"No. We're faster, come on, Steph." I followed as it was Isaac's turn to drag me somewhere.

We ran around the school, but found the door to be open already and flares going off near the two wolves. Grabbing the door sealer bar that Isaac had, I covered my eyes as he went to the door after Boyd and Cora ran in. He closed the door and I pushed the bar through, clicking the buttons. We listened to make sure they wouldn't try to push on it and turned.

"_Allison?_" She turned, looking at us for a second. I moved forward to say something, but she ran off before I could. I turned to Isaac with a shrug, "Well...uhm...at least she was helping us?"

He nodded, his eyes lingering where she was, "Yea…" He moved along the building, "Come one lets make sure the school is secure."

Nodding, I followed and we went through the building, making sure all the outer doors were closed and locked. When we reached the cafeteria, the once open door slammed and we saw Piper standing there. Growling, I ran forward and grabbed her, pinning her to a wall so that she was eye level with me.

"What are you _doing _here? Where is your pack? Who_ are_ you?"

She opened her mouth as if to reply, her eyes flashing with indecision before growing cold. Growling she kicked me in the gut, dropping the couple of inches and twisting my arm behind my back. Isaac went to help me, but she snarled, putting her claws to my neck, "Move any closer pup and I'll rip her pretty little throat out."

"If I'm the _pup _then what_-_" I shook my head at him, seeing the look in his eyes. Speaking instead, I tried to get her attention from him and back to me.

"No you wouldn't." I snarled slightly, when she pulled my arm tighter behind my back. "I'm not worth the effort. And I'm only asking questions you knew I was going to." _Are you sure about that? _My wolf sniggered, sensing the other girls desire to kill me. _Stroking her ego? Well...it's worth a shot at least. _

She held me there for a few more seconds before tossing me to Isaac, while I tried to hold down an inner brag to my ruffled wolf. "Yeah you're right. You really aren't worth the effort." She paused before adding in a mocking tone, "True. I didn't think it would take you this long. I had to practically shift in front of you for you to figure it out…" She sneered as Isaac held onto me before I could try a secondary attack, hands on my biceps. "Oh please. Don't even think about it." She laughed lightly, or maybe it was more sarcastically.

"So this is the boyfriend, huh? Does Stiles know about you guys? About Scott?"

"Of course he does. He's known since before I was-" I growled, "No...we're not doing this. _You_ answer _my _questions." _Way to almost give away your life story to a girl who tried to end it..._

She considered this for a second before starting with fake cheer,"Well, hi there, short term memory patient, my name is Piper Blakewood," She bowed with a smirk, "We have a couple of classes together?" Rolling her eyes she taunted, "And as you can finally sense... I'm a wolf like you and your little friends who tried to kill us."

"Are you with the bastards who did this to Boyd? Who did god knows _what_ to Erica?" I pulled against Isaac, but he didn't let me. _If she had __anything__ to do with Erica I swear..._

"I'm not _with_ anyone." She snarled, obviously hitting a nerve, but there was a telling sadness in her eyes. "But I _am_ here to help. Trust your senses, and you'll know you can trust me." Her head cocked to the side, as if she was listening to something none of us could hear, "Now, I'm going to go before those moon-crazed pups try to kill me." And with that she turned and left.

I went to talk to her but Isaac pulled on my arm, making me look at him. "Isaac, let go, I need to see if-"

"We'll find her and talk to her later. Now? We need to find Scott." I looked at him searchingly before sighing and nodding. We ran through the doors, and stopped halfway down the windowed wall, to see the sun.

Isaac, took my hand in his, "Steph, we did it: The Sun's coming up." He turned towards where the boiler room was, "Scott! The sun's coming up!"

"Come on, _pup_," I laughed at his excitement, pulling him down the steps to where we'd contained our friends.

* * *

"Derek, I know that right now you need to be with your sister, but we found out something tonight and I figured you'd want to know."

Derek turned to me, his shoulders slumped slightly as I wrapped my arms around myself, my jacket no longer on as I walked through the loft barefoot. His face was drawn and his tone weary. "What is it, Steph?"

I looked down and sighed before meeting his eyes again, "There's another werewolf we haven't accounted for." He raised an eyebrow at me, "Her name's Piper Blackwood...I had my suspicions when I met her the other day, but they were confirmed when Isaac and I saw her at the school…"

"You guys saw her at the school? When?" His head snapped up from where he was looking down at his unconscious sister in his bed. I looked over at Boyd, wondering what he knew.

"When we first got into the school grounds. We bumped into her again after we got Boyd and Cora into the school. She nearly tore out my rotator cuff."

Derek sighed running a hand along his face, "We'll have to keep an eye on her. Be careful with her though...don't get too close."

I nodded, "Have you heard from Scott or Stiles about the body Lydia found?"

Derek shook his head, "No...I'm guessing he called you?'

"Yea, he said they were all Virgins," I closed my eyes, "and then went on to say he thinks that we have a case of human sacrifices."

A strange look crossed Derek's face, but he laughed dryly, "He does like to go for the most extreme theories doesn't he..."

"I guess…" _What are you hiding? I mean first off how many 'dead' relatives of yours are going to come back from the dead? Because if there is a third I'm calling Bullshit on this fire of yours._

"Get some sleep, Steph...we all need it." I turned to leave, but looked back when he called out to me, "And Steph?"

"Yeah?" I tried not to see the self-hatred in his eyes, knowing that he was going to say.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save Erica. You were right, I'm not a good alpha, and now I've failed Erica...and maybe even Boyd."

"I never said you _weren't_ a good alpha, I said you needed to be a more _consistent_ one." I smiled sadly, "Besides, you let Erica experience a life outside of her personal hell. Sure she faced hardships, but she was _free_. I'm sure wherever she is, she's thanking you for that."

Derek didn't look at me for a few minutes, sighing before he met my eyes, "You sure know how to comfort people…" he smiled slightly, "Thanks."

I nodded and went upstairs, curling into bed next to Isaac who was already asleep. I was glad because I don't think I'd be able to handle his hovering right now. After about ten minutes, I got up and changed out of the t-shirt and jeans and into one of Isaac's sweaters, pacing a bit before lying back down. As tired as I was, I couldn't stop thinking about everything. _What is going on here? We have an alpha pack, an omega/member of the alpha pack, and now human sacrifices? Through in some form of witch and it all sounds like an episode of the vampire diaries..._I scoffed to myself. _You need to stop watching shows on the CW network...remember the Supernatural fiasco of 2009?_

"I swear to god if I have to deal with vampires on top of all this shit…" I muttered, looking next to me as Isaac turned over, mumbling something in his sleep.

"Mm why wuud she call me pup," He sighed slightly, and I brushed his hair away from his forehead, pausing when he continued "sounded fummilar…"

I jolted out of bed, grabbing my phone from the hook, _what if she's the girl?! What if she was the girl who helped him and that's what he was going to say before Boyd and Cora showed up? But why wouldn't she tell us...or make him mad so that he wants hurt her? She was right when my senses told me I could trust her, but there was still something off. _I pulled up my recent text messages with shaking hands, and tapped a message.

**To: Blakewood**

** We need to talk about tonight. You can't be all cryptic like that and then just ditch.**

I tapped the phone against my palm, looking down at Isaac. He had stopped mumbling, but his arm had relaxed where my body was, a slight pout on his lips when he found an empty span of bed. _God, and he complains about how much of a snuggler __I __am...What a dork. He doesn't even realize that it was __him__ that relaxed when I did that. _

_Yeah but you love him for it. _I felt my body tense, and my wolf snigger _Oh, that's right. You still haven't told him. What's the matter? Still too scared he's going to leave you? I doubt that tonight helped with that either. _

My phone buzzed in my hand before I could fight back, _Ah, saved by the phone._

**From: Blakewood**

** Fine. But only if you can survive the all of one hour away from Romeo. You guys had me gagging tonight. Seriously...**_**Gagging.**_

_Great, yet another person we annoy with our hormones...maybe she and Derek would get along after all._

**To: Blakewood**

** He's sleeping anyway, so I suppose I will. Where to you want to meet up? And should we wait until tomorrow...I've had a long ass full moon.**

_That's putting it lightly to say the least. It's not like you're going to get any sleep anyway. _I shook my head, not sure what to think. _We could always talk about your inability to let people close? I mean come on, Derek was practically begging for comfort at various points throughout the night and you refuse to give it to him outside of a hand on his shoulder? Weak, girl, Weak._

I rolled my eyes, _That was you, ya bitch, don't confuse our consciousnesses we'll both be screwed._

_Fair point._ My phone buzzed again, and I looked at the screen, barely even registering the sarcastic words.

**From: Blakewood**

**Considering I am comfy and my bed would be devastated if I left right now... tomorrow, rather later, is better. How about around noon? We can… talk before my work shift.**

_Shit...I think I have the 8 am shift at the clinic tomorrow. _I groaned softly _We aren't even __open__ during the weekend, why do I have to be there… Maybe because last year you inexplicably ditched and took whatever he would give you when you went and begged for your job back? Getting Bitten does that to some people. _I rolled my eyes, no one had asked her-her being the other half of my consciousness, of course.

_Shut up. I'll just explain everything to Doc when I arrive for a later shift. _I clacked a message, blinking my eyes.

**To: Blakewood**

**Sounds good. How does the Animal Clinic work? The Vet there is my boss who is also aware of our...circumstances and would be a good neutral ground.**

_Good lord, she better reply fast, that warm (and fine) ass body over there is just beggin' to be snuggled into and sleep is a must right now. _I nodded, a yawn escaping my lips as my phone buzzed a final time. _Oh god I hope it's the final time._

**From: Blakewood**

** You don't say… well thats convenient. I'll stop by and grab a medium cheese pizza for the three of us to share while we talk business and such.**

_Well know I know where she works. _I went to type a reply, ignoring my wolf's snide '_You should be a detective with those deduction skills_', and pausing when I saw the girl's reply.

**From: Blakewood**

** And on that note I am going to bed. Night.**

I chuckled lightly, sending a cheeky little thumbs up emoticon, just to wake her up one last time before putting my phone back on the hook and lying down. Isaac immediately moved next to me, pulling the blankets around us as he pulled me to his chest. I smiled, and nuzzled my head into his neck, taking in his scent and falling into a relaxed sleep.

_Girl you are so hooked...but go ahead and have this moment, something tells me tomorrow's gonna be interesting as all get out._

* * *

I woke up to Isaac playing with my hair. _Well __that's__ one of many things I missed when he was gone. _I sighed, contently, stretching lightly before playing with the collar of his shirt. _Hmm...he didn't change last night, poor thing._ My hand moved to cup the back of his neck and he let out a small laugh, making me look up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Did I wake you up?" His voice was still a little rough, indicating how he had only just beaten me there._God__ is his morning voice sexy._

"No," I smiled, giving him a set of small kisses along his jawline. "Though I wouldn't have complained if you had." I looked to the clock to see it was 10:30. _Damn I don't want to get up..._

He smiled slightly, unaware of my inner indecision, his cheek resting on the top of my head as he rubbed his hand along my arm. I leaned into him, enjoying the moment before had to get ready for my business in a couple of hours. _You poor thing, you'll have to leave him for all of __four__hours__ to conduct your secret meeting with the mystery wolf and then earn some money. _I rolled my eyes at my wolf, about to reply when-

"_DEAR __LORD__ ARE THEY LIKE THIS __ALL__ THE TIME?!" _A snippy, _and kinda pretentious_, voice cut through my thoughts, making me sit up.

There was a bang and our door slammed open, a very disgruntled and sweaty Cora glaring at us. We bolted up, moving apart slightly as if we were just caught by mom. _Which to be honest, is what it feels like...even if we've been __sharing__ a room since __moving__in __here...and have lived here __months__longer__ than her._

"Can you two keep away from each other for 5 minutes? I mean Derek warned me when I woke up I would have to get used to this whole having a mated pair and all, but this is _Ridiculous_. How am I supposed to train for my fight against those alphas, if you two are stinking the place up with your morning sex hormones?!"

I gulped, looking at Isaac guilty-_You better, it's totally your fault you horny little teenage girl-_before looking back to Cora with a sneer. "Well, it's nice to meet you too, Cora. I'm Steph, and this is Isaac." I shrugged, kinda in a bitchy mood, "But I'm guessing your brother told you that. And I know that you've been locked in a vault for three months, but it is still customary to knock before barging into someone's room. You know on the off chance that you would _actually_ walk in on our alleged morning sex. And then it would be awkward for everyone involved." Isaac looked at me with an slightly shocked expression while Cora just huffed and left, a loud thump indicating she forwent the stairs and leapt into the living room.

I laughed, glad to have one victory already so early in the morning and going to my closet. I turned, looking at the stern look that Isaac gave me. "What?"

"Somebody went she-alpha on the _actual_ Alpha's sister." He smirked as I rolled my eyes, "And it was kinda hot."

I fake gasped, "Careful now, we might make her vendetta against the alphas she has no chance againt fail with our morning compliment hormones." _Well there goes you making a new friend in the pack…._ I turned back to the closet _I have enough female friends, sue me._

For added measure I made sure to stare at Isaac's ass every time Cora and I were in the same room today, just to prove a point.

* * *

Eleven days.

I had survived Eleven days without killing Cora. Or even having sex with Isaac, just to try and add a point of civility between the two of us. Or just having sex in general. But there was no use! We just couldn't get along! She was a bitch, and I wasn't going to be her doormat. It's gotten so bad that I've had to take extra shifts at the clinic to get away from her. And I can barely even enjoy my boyfriend when I get home! She would groan in annoyance if we so much as started to even slightly make out.

Not that Derek was stepping up to help in any way. No, he just trained all of us harder to try and distract the us from how we stank of sex deprivation or the clear resentment the female Hale had for me.

_Spoiler alert: It wasn't working. _

I. Was. Going. Crazy. It took all that I had to not just take Isaac wherever we were, whenever I could. It had gotten so bad, he can't he pick me up from work anymore. Luckily, I enlisted my new bestie Piper in that field. But if I had to go another span of time without being able to touch my mate, me _and _my wolf were going to kill Cora. I never even knew it was this bad! Luckily, Isaac and I got to school early and we had our first cross country practice, so I was able to take the opportunity of our extra time. And with the help of Harris's office, he didn't even care that Coach would yell at him for being late.

After kissing him goodbye a final time, I let him leave first, trying to compose myself after undoubtedly the _best_ time we've had in a _while_. I looked out the hall, trying to figure out what to say to Piper when we met up for our morning chat. _She'll definitely smell it on you...or think that your good mood is because you slipped to the dark side and killed Cora...which is still __really__ tempting. _I was readjusting my maroon and white jersey-styled sweater that I had custom made to have Isaac's lacrosse 14 on it, and smoothed the dark denim distressed skinny jeans, hoping she wouldn't say anything. I'm sure she would probably tease me about my tall green and brown leather military boots, since she finds my obsession with the shoe amusing, but hopefully she would appreciate the set of golden necklaces with their small celestial charms and the star-studded (literally, the studs were stars) leather bracelet. AS I adjusted the brown leather messenger bag I was using today, I realized I would find out soon enough. _Speak of the devil and she shall appear. _

Smiling slightly, I hastily-and hopefully subtly- sniffed at my hair and wrists, checking to see if my ample application of honeysuckle perfume helped to mask Isaac's scent from me. _Among other things...good luck with that. If Cora could smell it, I'm sure Piper had the red flags going up from halfway across the school. _I winced, my wolf really didn't like the Hales apparently. _Don't act like __you __do._

_Fair point._

"You okay?" I looked up to see her eyeing me with a somewhat concerned look on her face._Way to space Steph, I'll bet she had tried to talk to you before saying that too. _Ever since our talk at the beginning of my involuntarily celibate span, I had slipped right into the old habit of not listening to Derek and gotten kinda close to this mystery girl and we'd learned to read each other pretty well. I mean we spent a lot of time together in our shared shifts at the clinic and our conversation over pizza in which she gave me no information whatsoever on what she was doing her aside from being an omega that was here to help Derek. I'll admit if it wasn't for Deaton's mediation, we might have strangled each other a few times, but now we are practically attached at the hip. _Which isn't something you like, is it?_

I looked back to her, not really getting a chance to respond as she started down the hallway. The smaller girl, demanding attention as she made short quick steps turning to me curiously, "Hey where is the pup?"

I stifled the urge to cringe at the nickname. _Why does she __insist__ on calling him that? I mean really, he's not that- _my wolf snorted, interrupting me, _Honey, he __totally_ is_, but you kinda are too, so it works out for all of us...sometimes._ "I mean he hasn't been hanging on you all morning…" She continued, giving me her famous mischievous smile, _Oh if only you knew how inaccurate __that__ was..._ "Did you finally realize how lame he is and move on to a real man?"

I glared at her, giving out a playful growl, knowing that it was just part of the game we've been playing lately. Though she never told me why it was that she didn't like my mate, Piper never failted to metion the fact _that_ she didn't like him. _Because where would the fun be, if I __actually__ knew something? Isn't that what she says? Though to be honest, her mystery __is__ why we're friends. _

"He isn't a pup!" I started, going right for the bait as usual before sighing. _You really need to stop doing that. _Giving her a rueful smile, I continued "But my _wonderful_"_ and totally manly enough _"boyfriend is currently in the locker room. He and the others have a cross country run practice." I grimaced slightly, remembering that I was supposed to be there too, _thank __god__ coach can't go into the girls' locker room. "We_ have a meet coming up."

"Is that so?" she mumbled absently, her attention set on all of the guys in the hall. _And here I thought __I __was in desperate need for sex. _

"Yes. I really think we might actually have a chance this year…." I paused slightly not sure how to _not _brag and going for it anyway. "especially with Isaac and I on the -"

She cut me off, clearly not in the mood for my bragging about me _or_ my boyfriend, _that makes two of us._ "Wait did you say the others?" She looked at me quizzically, "The others as in… Stiles?-and Scott of course." I smirked as she tacked on Scott to cover her true motives. _Ah, Piper...how you reek of the desire for my little human compadre and you don't even know it…_

"Yeah… actually. I got to get going. I am on the team and all." I gave her a meaningful look. "In case you forgot and I need to change and…" _don't even think about mumbling the- _"Shower…"

Piper looked at me for a second, then squinched up her nose.

"Oh ew!" She eyed Harris's office, with disgust and revelation. "Please please don't tell me…"

I flushed, looking down at my hands, "Ew." She laugh-groaned, making me flush even darker, _so much for being covert… Though I have to say, I know why Lydia goes to Coach's office with Aiden…_

"You are adorable." She said after a few minutes, but I didn't meet her gaze. Instead, I just messed with my loose hair and bracelet in a somewhat futile attempt to fan out the smell of my perfume, ignoring her slightly pitying tone when she added "You look good by the way."

"Thanks." I said, stiffening, as I saw the look of disdain she gave my shirt. _well come one, you gotta admit that it's just a neon sign that you two are nauseating. _

"What? No 'you do too Piper'?" I gestured to her uncharacteristic outfit and pouted, "That hurts."

_Always fishing for compliments, and you thought __I__ was the insecure one._ I shrugged, "Nope. If you ask me you are a little too plain today." _Way to be gentle about it, girl. What kinda friend are you?_

She put a dramatic hand over her heart, "Ouch." She really did, though, in her yoga capri pants and sneakers. I was used to dresses and designer brands, not the red and black nikes with a workout aura from the petite girl. _Well at least the top is cute and flowy…_

"Anyway," I winced looking at the bell, "I really gotta go now or Coach'll have my hide…." I worried, mumbling "the cupcake..." as an afterthought. _The sheriff __really__ shouldn't have told Stiles that he liked to be called that. _

She nodded, "Okay, let's go find the boys!" I followed her, not so sure how I felt about her enthusiastic tone. _Something tells me I'm about to find out._

* * *

_That's it guys! Sorry I hadn't updated until today with the last chapter. End of the year stuff and transferring things got in the way. But let me know what you think! Hope you like return/ use of piper! She's gonna be in it more now, and don't worry, eventually there will be flashback to those eleven days with the girls. _

_Thanks as always for reading! _

_~Gwen_


	6. Playing with Fire

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_Piper? What are you doing here?" _

"_Allison?" what was she doing here_

"_Are you with the bastards who did this to Boyd? Who did god knows what to Erica?" _

"_Trust your senses, and you'll know you can trust me. I __am__ here to help." _

"_Keep an eye on her, but don't get too close, Steph." _

"_Stiles thinks that we have a case of human sacrifices." _

_And despite Derek's warning I got close to the mysterious rake haired girl._

_First we have an alpha pack, then an omega/member of the alpha pack, and now human sacrifices? What is going on here?_

* * *

_Chapter 5: Playing with Fire_

After reaching the locker rooms, Piper was possessed by only she knows what to go into the boys' room, leaving me alone to go change into my cross country gear. I looked at Stiles with a raised eyebrow as Piper knelt down next to him, wearing a v-neck that I was pretty sure belonged to Danny's plentiful color wheel of the item. He shrugged, giving me an 'it's Piper' look, making me smirk before looking for Isaac. When I found him, he was kneeling down to tie his shoe. _Giving me a nice view of dat booty that I love so very much._ I placed my hand behind my back and bent forward, kissing his cheek. He turned his eyebrows furrowed slightly, _Who else would be kissing you, ya dummy? Considering you've been telling me I was silly for being insecure the past week…_

The ball of nerves in my stomach released as he smiled to me, both of us tensing together as the hunky twins _Really? You __still__ call them that? They have __names__ you know…_ walked by us. Aiden was in just a navy jersey-tank and jogging pants, and Ethan in a sports jacket. As they moved by, I felt a chill that I've come to know as the presence of another werewolf. Looking to Isaac, I saw his jaw set and a molten rage flaring in his eyes. As the whistle blew, he stood still, watching them go. _Oh no...What is he planning? _He stood up to chase them, but Scott showed up behind us, grabbing each of our arms.

Coach yelled something about pacing ourselves as Scott just looked at us, "Isaac!"

"It's them." Isaac gave me a look, "It's them."

And with those words, I shoved Scott off of me and booked it, not caring if anyone saw that I had my eyes glowing in order for me to borrow my wolf's speed. _They__ were the bastards who helped to torture him, and subsequently me? And to think they've been sitting behind me in class...doing what? Waiting for their next move? Watching? __What__? _ I ignored Scott's calling for me and watched as Isaac rocketed by me. _Huh...he __really__ wants to get them._ I felt an arm on my shoulder and stopped, nearly taking out a few people.

"_Danny?_" I looked over at the Hawaiian looking teen, "What are you doing?"

"I'm not really sure, but you looked just as mad as Piper said you seemed…" He looked at me worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I snapped, sighing as I calmed myself and tried again, "I'm fine...you said that Piper told you I would be mad?"

"Uh yea...she's with Stilinski, but she said that I needed to stop you from running with Ethan and Aiden and to keep a cool head."

I nodded,_ Compliments __and__ she's stopping me from attacking the twins? What is that girl up to…_"Okay...uhm, thanks." He nodded and ran off.

I looked for Scott, only to be met by a wave of discomfort as Isaac went and got himself in trouble. _Damn it... Piper, I know you're looking out for me, but he's needs me right now. _I took off in a sprint, following his scent and catching Scott's as well. G_ood. I won't be alone, __and__ he can make sure I don't kill them too excessively. _

When I found them, Scott was decking Ethan in the jaw, knocking him away from Isaac, who was still being held down by Aiden. Scott looked at them as if to answer a question I missed.

"That's one."

_Huh...well he just broke a bone so it must have been along those lines...works for me._ I ran forward and kicked Aiden in the ribs, a pair of satisfying crunches meeting my sneaker as I helped Isaac up.

"And that would be three…" They growled, Ethan resetting his jaw and standing up.

We all started to do our own little Mexican standoff, eyes aglow with fangs and claws out. I clenched and unclenched my hands, hoping they made the first move. _Like you would be opposed to striking first with these two torturers. _A scream broke out, making us all unshift and look for the crowd a little ways behind us. Isaac tried to keep me from seeing, but it was too late. I had already moved past him only to see a horrific scene in front of me. The senior, the one who had been at the clinic with me, and Scott last night was strung up to a tree, his own dog's collar around his throat and blood everywhere.

"Oh god…" I said, my hand flying to my mouth.

"It's him, isn't it?" Isaac said, pulling me into his chest as I nodded numbly, looking to the twins. _Did they have something to do with this? Or could he be…_

I ignored the appearance of Stiles' dad and thought back to when we saw him last night. There had been no indication that he was going to be taken with the basic sick visit. Though right after Scott and I discovered some mistletoe in the dog's stool sample, there was all of that barking...only for us to find the dog with no sign of the owner. _I'm pretty sure his car is still in the parking lot at the clinic…_

"Steph, why do you look like you saw a ghost? Did you know that guy?" Piper's surprisingly angry voice pulled me from my thoughts, her hands doing the same from Isaac. _What right does she have to be pissed about all of this? I'll never understand this girl..._

I nodded slowly, "Uh yea….his name was Kyle...he had a dog come in with a stomachache...we found mistletoe in it's stool, but then the dog was barking and we found him alone next to his owner's car. It was like he vanished…."

A pretty blonde girl _Ashley, you helped to tutor her last year in her english class _ran forward, screaming and crying at the sight of Kyle, a deputy holding her back. Piper guided me away lightly as Stiles joined us and all five of us walked down the hill. Moving away from the group we ignored Coach's attempts to usher us back to the school. Isaac spoke first tense, the anger simmering back in tohis eyes.

"You see the way the twins looked at him?"

Stiles stood next to us, a strange look on his face, "Yeah, you mean like they had no idea what happened?"

"No," Isaac snapped, pulling away when I put a hand on his arm, "No, they knew."

"They could be trying to hide it… Like how they decided to wait until _today_ to make it apparent that they're wolves?" I looked to Piper, "Which by the way, did you _know? _Is that why you had Danny stop me?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but Stiles spoke up, motioning with his hand, clearly annoyed, "The kid was strangled with a garrote, all right? Am I the only one recognizing the lack of "werewolfitude" in these murders?"

"Right, because that is what would steer us away from our theory, Mr. Human Sacrifices." I said, crossing my arms. _No...it has to be them. First they got rid of Erica, then tried to have us get rid of Cora and Boyd...and now they're going after humans._

Isaac nodded in agreement, "Oh, you think it's a coincidence they turn up and then people start dying?"

Stiles shook his head, "Well, no…" He looked at me pleadingly, "but I still don't think it's them." He turned to his best friend, "Scott?"

I turned to Scott, "Yea, Scott-"

"How 'bout you?" Isaac finished, making Piper gag.

"Great you guys are finishing each other's sentences now? No wonder Cora hates you." I glared at her, but she just gave me a cheeky grin as Scott sighed, answering our questions.

"I don't know yet?"

Stiles looked deeply affronted, "You...you don't know yet?!"

Scott looked at me and Isaac, "Well, they've got a point." He looked at Stiles, looking at him apologetically, "Seriously, dude, human sacrifices?"

Stiles scoffed looking at him, "Scott, your eyes turn into yellow glow sticks, okay? Hair literally grows from your cheeks and then will immediately disappear, and if I were to stab you right now, it would just magically heal, but you're telling me that you're having trouble grasping human sacrifices?" He waved his hand around, his gaze falling on Piper, "And you know what?"

"Oh boy.." I started, sensing where he was going with this.

"Here we go…" Piper muttered, looking at me in agreement.

"Piper made herself known to us the night you guys were trying to catch Cora and Boyd! I don't see anyone jumping to accuse her!"

"Stilinski.. did you just threaten me because I will destroy you -" She started angrily.

He held his hand up to stop Piper's snarky remark, "_Not_ that I am, of course, I would like to think I know you better than that." _Uh huh...and we __both_ _know you wished you knew her even better too...mr. sleepy mumbles…_

Scott sighed, looking to Isaac as I gave Piper an awkward pat on the back to calm her, "That's a good point too."

Isaac growled slightly, "I don't care. They killed that kid, they killed the girl that saved me." He looked at me pleadingly, almost begging me to see his side of things, before his face grew stony. "And I'm gonna kill them too."

"Isaac-" I started, moving to follow him, but Piper grabbed my hand, "Pipes…"

"Let him go, he needs to clear his head." She said, looking over at the group. "We need to try and stop him from doing something stupid. Or worse...talking Steph into helping him."

_Thanks for that vote of confidence..._

* * *

I found Isaac just outside of the locker room as the first bell was ringing. I had changed back out of my clothes, making sure to take the fastest shower I could so that I could catch up to him. He was still tense, his shoulders taut as he shouldered on his striped grey cardigan I've been known to steal around the loft. _Psshh, that this is an item in joint custody, don't even pretend it's solely his. _I walked up to him, ignoring the cold glance he gave me. _Ah __hell__ no! Don't you get all wounded puppy on me when you lost that argument. _

"Hey…" I said, smiling lightly before cautiously pulling him towards his physics class. Piper and I had shop around the corner, so I figured I could try to talk to him, "You know that I'm not out to get you, right?"

"Yea, well you were easily won over to Stilinski's side, as usual." _ouch… that one hurt._

"Hey, how many times have I told you that there is _nothing_ going on between me and Stiles," _probably about the amount of times he tells you not to get insecure about other girls…_ "and that _if_ I was on _anyone's _side other than my own, that it was _yours_. Not his." I made sure to let him know how hurt I was that he would even think about that before fixing him with a meaningful look.

He looked at me a far off look in his eyes, _he still doesn't believe you…._"I don't just have sex in Harris's office with _anyone_ you know…" I watched as a small smile formed on his lips and he didn't respond, "Isaac Lahey, you better not be thinking about our sex earlier when I'm trying to prove a point to you."

He smirked slightly, "Sorry...just playing the highlights." He cupped my cheek in his jaw. "I'm sorry for doubting you...It won't happen again." _Hm….you don't normally give up this easily..._

"It better not." I muttered, wrapping my arms around his neck and giving him a fleeting kiss. "Just promise you won't do anything rash without me, okay? At least let me be your back up."

He nodded, "And you'd promise me something?" I nodded, "Be careful in shop? Piper mentioned you guys had it with them." _And there it is..._

I raised an eyebrow, "Keeping tabs on me now, Love?" _He's really letting this go no matter what I do, huh..._

"Only when your safety is in question." He gave me a soft, lingering kiss, making Scott clear his throat uncomfortably as he arrived next to us. We broke away, flushing as we looked to Scott. "I'll see you at lunch?" _And look at who's trying to be all suave and trying to convince me that my tactics at calming you worked. I can see right through you bub...right through you. _

"Okay," I smiled watching him walk into class. Once he was out of sight I turned to Scott, keeping my voice low so he wouldn't overhear us. "He's still pissed...I couldn't get him to calm down...He thinks that none of us believe him, and he's still pissed about being bulldozed after the Kyle incident."

Scott nodded, "I'll keep him out of trouble, Steph...just be careful in class. He texted me saying you and Piper had class with them." _Oh Dear lord...he is taking the overprotective boyfriend thing to a whole new level. _

I smiled tightly and nodded, walking over to shop class. When I got there, Piper was looking at me expectantly, a bored and annoyed expression in her eyes. I bit my lip walking up to her.

"He's still wound up about-" I looked over to see them smirking over at us, "About the twins," I muttered, glaring in their direction. _Don't let them get to you too… try to remain calm about this. They are __trying__ to start something, you saw that at practice today. _"They really did a number on him…" I worried, my hand going to my stomach. _You would know, wouldn't you..._

"I don't know. I thought the bruises added a touch of manliness to his puppy features."

"You checking out my man when I'm not looking?" I snorted, _Almost all of his bruises were healed when he got back to school last week... Especially the ones on his face. What is she talking about? _"Was this before or after you decided to tell him about the class we shared with annoyances one and two?"

"Ew. Please I have some standards that cannot be ignored." She waved her hand in the air to emphasize her point, "So no I didn't do it on purpose." Looking a little guilty at being reminded she had slipped about the whole sharing a class thing to the twins, she tried to play dumb, "Oh.. I don't remember telling him that. He must have heard it from Stiles."

"Yea, well he wasn't very happy when I walked him to class today, and it wasn't Little Red's name he dropped…with that fact anyway." _He's still a little sore about me taking 'his side', but you know, it's something I can fix later. And maybe get Cora annoyed as an added plus._

"Girl, when is he ever happy? It's getting pretty overkill if you ask me - his moodiness that is." She smirked, completely ignoring the second part of what I said. _Of course she would, she tries to ignore about as much Stiles talk as she can, only to ask about him at work or unwittingly-and totally obviously-flirt with him later._

"Oh, trust me, I keep him plenty happy." I winked at her, trying to hide the blush, but mostly failing as she snickered slightly. _That's right keep up the banter it's working to calm you down and it distracts you..._

She shuddered, "Yes well… play time in Mr. Harris's office aside… I still think he is a little too Poesque for my liking." _An author reference? Color __me__ impressed._

I looked down at our current project, a very sad looking birdhouse with a lopsided roof, sanding it lightly. "So what if he's a romantic? So long as he doesn't try to nail my still beating heart under the floorboards, I'm not complaining. It's nice to have a quieter guy...less of a need for witless chatter." _Now if only I could convince __him__ of that. He gets so insecure sometimes….not that I'm any better._

"I guess so… long as he makes you happy and all that mushy stuff." She shrugged, "And while the quieter guys are nice… I kind of like the ones that chatter." _And there it is...how does she not realize how obvious she is sometimes?_

"Oh I know…" I muttered, shaking my head rapidly as she looked at me quizzically, _whoops thought out loud... Bad Steph, they don't see it yet, don't ruin it._"I mean he does. Make me happy, I mean. He's what keeps me sane in all of this craziness, ya know? For lack of a better term in our world, he's what anchors me. My own ray of light in a confusing darkness."

_Laheying it on a bit think, aren't we...See what I did there? __Lah__ey__ing__? you could just pretend that the 'he' is silent and- oh never mind, my humor is lost on you. _I chuckled, sanding the walls, _haha! You did laugh. _

"I know it sounds silly...but it's nice." _Aside from your crippling self consciousness whenever he seems to get mad at you. Or if his eye lingers for five seconds..._

"Ahh. Must be nice. I wish..." There was a touch of wistfulness in her voice as her words trailed off, though it was quickly replaced with humor, _Ooops probably shouldn't have laid it on so thick._"You know… Mr. Hammond is not going to appreciate our out of the box birdhouse design." We both looked at the birdhouse, "Is it even liveable for birds?"

"Hey! It is a perfectly fine bird house!" I laughed, trying to defend our little creation if only to pull her out of her mood." _Steph the Martyr strikes again…_ "And I know for a fact that Mr. Hammond admires creativity with a side of his favorite brownies." _Oh yea, throw in the stereotypical joke that the shop teacher is a pothead, no one's heard that one before._

Snickering she just rolled her eyes at me. _See, she appreciates it._ "Yeah so you bake the brownies and he can put imaginary birds in our bird house. As long as we get an A, it doesn't matter to me if we need to bribe the teacher."

"Are you seriously worried about getting an A in _shop_? All you have to do is-" I paused, watching the twins leave suddenly and listening for Isaac's heartbeat. "Oh no…." _Don't do anything stupid you promised_…I wrung my hands, trying to figure out what to do.

"Stephanie…" Piper started warningly. "Don't." _After all, you promised too._

"Mr. Hammond can I go to the bathroom?" He nodded and I looked at Piper. "I'm sorry, but I need to help him...I need to keep that spark of light alive as long as I can…" _Don't say more, just run...keep running. Explain your sob story another day. _She searched my eyes, trying to figure out what I was going to do. _To be honest, I don't even know yet. _

"Miss McGrath are you going to keep chit-chatting, or did you need to use the restroom?"

"Right...sorry." I walked out, gathering the last of my nerve. _I won't let him be subjected to them again. Not when I can stop it._

I walked down the hall, reaching the corner in seconds. _Werewolf on a mission, remember? _Slowly, I looked behind me half expecting Piper to show up and drag my 'love sick' ass back to class. Instead, I found an empty hallway and kept walking. _Maybe it's her way of saying she understands? _A force stopped me around the next corner and I was pushed back a couple of steps by an altogether way too smug Aiden.

"What are you two up to?" I snarled, making him laugh.

"Looks like someone's not so shy anymore." He sneered, the smirk never leaving his face. _He's toying with you don't-_

"And _that_ doesn't answer my question." I snapped, pushing him into a wall. _Or just fall for it, that's cool too..._"Now where's Ethan and what do you want with Isaac?!"

"Oh you're little mate's fine, coppertone." He laughed, not even struggling. _Which is surprising considering he easily has four inches on you….and is an alpha over your beta ass_..."I'd be more concerned about you right now." _And you should __definitely_ _take that as a hint to back off. _

"What do you _want?!_" I slammed him into the wall again, waiting for him to respond. _Or not...what do I know, I'm just a wolf who can think like him..._ "TELL ME!" I shouted, about to claw at him when we were interrupted.

"McGrath! Let Mr...I'm sorry I don't think we even _have_ a last name for you or your brother in our records, but either way, drop him."

I cringed at the sarcastic voice, letting go of Aiden and feeling glad my claws had extended yet. _You can thank me later. _I turned to face the teacher, trying to look guilty for my actions- _you better you stupid pup...and now Piper is rubbing off on __me.__-_as I met Harris' gaze, avoiding the look on Scott and Isaac's faces as Aiden tried to look like he had no idea what he did wrong.

"Well it looks like I'll be seeing you _and_ Mr. Lahey in lunchtime detention." He continued, "And let me assure you now, the couple that beats siblings together does _not_ serve the punishment together. As for _how_ you managed to have him up on the wall like that, I just hope I don't have to have Coach Finstock exercise his right go have random drug testing."

I glared at the teacher as he went off to ruin someone else's life, tensing when Aiden leaned down, his lips next to my ear as Isaac looked like he was going to rip his head off. _Down boy….he already achieved his goal, don't give him more reasons to gloat. _

Aiden scoffed from his position next to me."Told you he was fine." I fought down the urge to rip his tongue out, _Okay, __that__ would be fun, not gonna lie. "_Man...Kali was _right_: mated pairs really _are_ just too easy."

I growled lightly making sure only he had heard it, like he had with his comment before he slipped into the crowd, a smug smirk on his face as Isaac glared at us darkly. _I doubt he's glaring at you…._ I felt Scott's hand on stopping me from following him and the three of us moved through the hall, Isaac and I still seething. _They used our own mating bond __against__ us. I don't even know what their endgame is...why go after both of us?_

Scott spoke up, his voice attempting, and failing, to remain calm, "Don't let it bother you guys. It's just lunchtime detention. If all they want right now is to piss you off, then don't give in. They're just trying to get to you."

Isaac shook his head, "It's not just me, they went after Steph, Scott." _And you think that that makes me feel any better? If it been just you, I would have felt awful… don't martyr yourself damn it! Yea...apparently we have the monopoly on that one. _

We both looked to Lydia's locker and I froze. "And they're not even stopping there…"

Aiden was leaning over Lydia while she stood with her back to her locker, her books in her arms, "What about tonight? "

Lydia smirked shaking her head, "Nope. Studying." _You go, Lyds! Don't make me want to kill him even more..._

He leaned down giving her an admittedly cute smile, _I still hate him, but he __is__ attractive._"I could help you."

She gave a look of mock thought, "Do you have an IQ higher than 170?" _Unlikely..._

"Okay. You could help me." _Shit...he's got moves…._ I clenched my fists as she scoffed lightly. "Tonight then?"

I turned to Scott, who looked severely pissed before looking at us, "What are you two looking at?"

Isaac smirked, "Now they're getting to you." I nodded. _So __now__ can we do something about it?_

"Hello Pot." I said, patting his shoulder as he tried to calm himself, "Just call me Kettle, and we can agree that we're both black." I grabbed Isaac's hand, "Come on, let's get whatever Harris has in store for us over with."

As soon as we got into the classroom, I sat down next to Isaac. He was slightly put out still since I had refused to tell him what Aiden had told me, but otherwise we had sort of calmed down, hoping to just get this over with. Looking around I saw there were four kids next us and behind us was Allison _wonder what she did...don't see her rushing to help Scott lately..._ sitting next to Piper. _Wait what?_

"I leave you alone for all of five minutes and we _both_ manage to end up in lunchtime detention? How does that work?" I laughed, looking at her with an amused grin as Harris walked in. I sighed, at her lack of response as well as the flash of annoyance she had. _Or you could admit you just __hate__ Harris? Everyone else does, it wouldn't be an new fact. _The devil incarnate went right into delegations, pointing to each of the pairs. _See? Now as that so hard?_

"The two of you will wash all the boards in this hall. Reshelving the library." He moved in front of Isaac and I's table, pointing to Isaac and Allison, "Restocking the janitor's closet."

I grit my teeth as Isaac turned, having not seen the huntress, and she dropped her pen after they made eye contact. _What the hell is that? What is with her and the lingering looks? She had the same look on her face when we caught her at the school that night..._

"Oh, Mr. Harris?" Isaac stood up and leaned towards the slightly taller teacher, clearing his throat, "Um... Does it have to be with her?" _That's my boy! How adorably small is Harris when standing next to him? I mean really, it's prime hilarity. Okay...down girl...Piper's gonna tease you if you don't stop now._

Harris looked back at me and smirked, "Now that I know you prefer not to... and I do mean _both_ of you…" Isaac looked back as I tried to compose my anger, "Yes. You have to be with her."

"Great." Isaac muttered, following Allison out while Harris looked at me and Piper.

"As for you two…" I cringed looking up at him from my table. _This is why you should have tried to get him to like you when you were human...and not be terrified of him...he hates that more than he hates Stiles._

* * *

_Dun Dun DUUUN! Not really since it's only Harris, but whatever. Yey more Piper and Steph! Hope you enjoyed it, and hope you keep reading! Follow, Fave, Review, whatev, just let me know how you feel about it!_

_~Gwen_


	7. Getting Burned

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_It's __them__. you think it's a coincidence they turn up and then people start dying? They killed that kid, they killed the girl that saved me. And I'm gonna kill them too." _

"_If I was on anyone's side other than my own, that it was yours. Not his." _

_I mean he does make me happy. He's what keeps me sane in all of this craziness, ya know? For lack of a better term in our world, he's what anchors me. My own ray of light in a confusing darkness."_

"_Man...Kali was __right__: mated pairs really are just __too __easy__." _

" _If all they want right now is to piss you off, then don't give in. They're just trying to get to you." "It's not just us. Now they're getting to you too."_

* * *

Chapter 7: Getting Burned

"I can't believe he's having us clean out the bathroom stalls!" I groaned, dropping the bucket in the next stall, glad that they at least had the courtesy to close the two we were in charge of. "Does he really expect the permanent marker signs about who to call for a good time to come off in the twenty-five minutes we have for lunch?"

"Well, it _is_ Harris, did you expect anything less?" She popped her head out of her stall, "Though we both know that you would rather be 'restocking' the janitor's closet." She arched an eyebrow at me, making me wring out the sponge with a light chuckle.

"As true as that may be, I'm not actually a huge fan of small spaces…" I muttered not sure if I was ready to divulge too much to her just yet as she went back to work. _I vote __not__. Because though that fear of yours is true enough, but better you be stuck in that small ass space than that treturous huntress bitch who lately has been reminding you more and more of your past. It always is the women who hurt you most, isn't it…_

"Stephanie Anne McGrath, did you change your name and not tell me?" I froze at the light joke, not even really noticing she got my middle name somehow. _Did she look me up in the school records or something? I don't even think __Isaac__ knows my middle name. Though why would she ask if I chanced my name unless-_ I thought popped into my head, making me close my eyes in dispair.

_Shit...forgot about what a slut shew as... okay just relax she doesn't know anything, just play dumb!_

"Uh was I supposed to?" _What the hell was that! I don't thrive under pressure, you know this!  
_

"So you have no idea why this one chick named Melanie has the same last name as you and is called the 'best time if you plannin on a good time with no strings attached'?" _They are really unimaginative with these. I mean really? Best time for a good time? Why not Best option or number one choice even? Pfft...High school boys. _"Or is there something you're not telling me?"

"Well actually I would then have to tell you the whole story about my family and that wouldn't make me the orphan that I'm sure you take me for, so you tell me." _Okay, now you're just __asking__ her to have you tell her. Are you sure you just don't want to tell her and get it over with?_

Her head popped out from the stall she was in and as she wrung out her sponge, she studied me with slightly narrowed eyes. _Well that's not a good look..._ Eventually she shrugged, "Considering we are in detention and cleaning stalls I don't think its the right setting for the dramatic telling of a life story." Giving me a wink she continued lightly, "So don't worry about it…" Her brows furrowed in thought, "Wait, did I ever call you an orphan? How terribly rude of me." Her head disappeared again, "But you sorta dress like an orphan sometimes so really it isn't my fault that I assumed so."

"I wouldn't say you _have_ but we've never talked about family at all so...I guess." I sighed _dodged a bullet there, but wait: What did she say about our clothes? _ "And hey! Don't to dissing my style, or I'll write your number down on the wall and see who calls."

"Hey, as long as they sound hot, I won't complain." She gave me another wink, and I rolled my eyes. _That girl…_

We were silent for a bit longer, and I was washing a rather crude drawing of Lydia _well that guy was certainly creative...and I will never unsee it._ when I looked down to see my hands start to shake, and a panic set in. The sponge fell out of my hand, splashing into the bucket. _What is this...this is a new sensation that I haven't had happen before. _I pushed away at the stall walls hyperventilating. _A panic attack? But what brought the thing on... _I felt my hands clench involuntarily and my chest tightening. Without warning-or my own consent- I started to punch into the wall, my fist making dents in the metal.

"Come on...Come on!" The blood rushed in my ears and my breathing became ragged. Thoughts started to rush into my head that weren't mine or my wolf's voice, but filled with the same panic I had whenever Mother got mad. _Can't get out! I need to get out! I didn't do anything wrong! Dad I'm sorry! Please don't…..no no! _The bucket was toppled, dirty and soapy water pooling at my feet, but all that mattered was getting the hell out and finding air. _I can't breathe…I can't breathe!_

"Steph….Steph!" The wall was now riddled with fist sized dents as I continued to punch into the thin metal. _"STEPH!" _

A force stopped my fist and I found Piper looking at me with wide eyes, her hand on my wrist. I winced as I opened my fist to see my claws out and the deep cuts slowly healing while my vision cleared back to be colored and not the tell tale red of my wolf's vision. My eyes widened and I looked to the door.

"Something is wrong...I've never had an attack like that before…Usually I just can't breath or I sit somewhere fighting the urge to faint. No...this is different."

"Hell, you guys don't know anything about that mating bond of yours do you." Piper frowned with a sigh.

"I'm learning more and more each day." I said, "Why." _Please tell me this isn't what I think it is…_

"You feel more than each other's pain. You share distress and even powerful memories or feelings. So whatever you're feeling right now? That's the pup, and he needs you right now." I stood up, bolting to the door, "And where the hell do you think you're going?"

"You said it yourself: Isaac needs me right now." I opened the door with a new resolve, "And this time I won't be stopped along the way."

I followed my memory and the knot in my stomach to the janitor's closet, finding Isaac sitting across from it, his hand pulling at his hair, while Scott looked at some scratches on Allison's arm.

"I'm so sorry." His voice was strained and his eyes were glassy.

Kneeling down, I rested myself between his legs and grabbed his face in my hand. "Hey, look at me," His eyes were glued to Allison's arm, "_Isaac_ this wasn't your fault."

He looked at me with such an uncertainty, I wanted to cry. I pulled him into me, trying not to think about how tightly he held back. It was like he didn't think I was actually there, and had to make sure by testing the resistance my body would provide. _You're a wolf, if he bruises you, it'll heal. Just let him know that you are there for him...that __is__ what you ran to him for isn't it.? _I nodded, rocking him back and forth and muttering soothing nonsense until Scott turned to us.

"I guess now we know they want to do more than get you angry. They want to get someone hurt."

"_I _could have told you that and saved us from this mess…" I started, but Isaac, squeezed my hand.

"So are we gonna do something?" He was looking at Scott with a slightly worried face. _Something tells me we would end up doing something even if scott doesn't. _

Scott nodded, looking at us, "Yeah. I'm gonna get them angry." He set his jaw, "Really angry."

"Now that's what I'm talking about." I grinned, Isaac looking at me worriedly. "No one is going to mess with my pack _this _much and get away with it."

* * *

Isaac was in front of the twin's Ducatis, pacing nervously as Allison hotwired the one, and I took out a few parts she'd pointed out to me on the other. _Good thing too, I wouldn't know what to do with all of this. All I know is that they look kinda important and I have no idea what they do._

Isaac looked down at Allison as I stood up with my parts, "How long is this gonna take?"

"Isaac, you need to be more patient." The motorcycle roared to life, "See, a few more seconds and our revenge is at hand." _You are having way too much fun with this. And you __aren't?__ Fair enough._

Allison motioned Isaac onto the bike, and started to run him through it. _Okay...why the hands on demonstration? _"Okay. Pull back with your left hand. Kick down to put in gear. Front brake. Throttle." She put her hand over his to demonstrate, her face close to his, "Back brake for stopping." _I wasn't being serious?! What the __hell__ does she think she's doing?! _They looked at each other, tension rippling between them as she laughed lightly. "Try not to crash?"

Isaac looked at me and winked, _Oh so glad to know __someone__ remembered my presence. _"Yeah. Been there, done that."

Allison went to take a picture of him, "Steph you better catch up with Scott."

"Sure," I stopped, my wolf taking over momentarily, placing an evil smirk forming on my lips. _Girl what are you planning to do you- "_Hey, babe?_" _Isaac looked over at me.

"Yeah..?" I walked up to him, as he looked at me curiously. Straddling the bike, I rested my arms on his shoulders and kissed him with a little- scratch that _WAY_-more passion than is typically necessary in the presence of company, enjoying it just as much when he responded in kind.

_Oh please, of course he would, he's a teenage boy. And you are totally pulling male wolf shit and marking your territory..._I pulled away, "Be careful, kay?" _Hell yea I am, and I'm not even ashamed of it either. Bitch needed to know her place. _

"Kay…" He watched me in awe as I got off the bike and gave Allison a smug smile before going to class. _You are so evil….I love it. I mean the look on her face? __Priceless!_

"Give me a few minutes before texting Scott!" I called, walking into the school. I smiled as I reached the English class that the twins and I had inexplicably been moved into, slipping the pieces into Scott's bag before we walked in. I patted his back, back in control of my body. "Okay, Scottles, it's all you."

He nodded and he sat down next to Aiden while I took a seat next to Ethan. Both of us smiling at them in anticipation while they looked at us with mild annoyance. _Sure if mild is 'set gaze to melt in them in their seats.' _

Ms. Blake walked in, a sort of tired smile on her face. _"_Okay, everyone. I know this is the last class of the day. To be honest, I want to get out of here too." _Oh I don't know, I kinda want to see what happens in the next few minutes…._

Scott and I smirked to each other as he took the first piece out, spinning the big gear on his finger. "This looks kind of important." He raised his eyebrows while the twins looked to either side of them to each of us.

"You alright boys? You seem a little tense…" I pointed to Scott, "What else have you got, Scott?"

Scott pulled out another piece shrugging, "I don't know Steph, I have _no idea_ what this thing does."

Aiden started to grip the desk while Ethan shot me a glare, trying to keep himself calm. I just gave a finger wave and a smile when the telltale sound of a motorcycle engine filled the halls. Ethan looked to Aiden as the other teen glared darkly at the door. _And showtime._

"Aiden don't-" _Too late. _

Ms. Blake turned around as he sprinted out of the room. I slipped out as Allison slipped in, and watched in amusement as Aiden stopped the bike, glaring at Isaac furiously. _Ah. I get why you said it was mild before…I'm surprised Isaac didn't drop dead!_

"GET OFF MY BIKE!" He yelled into his own helmet visor, Isaac taking it off and glaring at him with equal gusto. _Well then...I don't know whether to be extremely turned on, or terrified..._

"No problem." He smirked, passing the helmet and then _flipping_ over Aiden so that the other teen was holding the bike. He walked over to me as the other students filled the wall.

"Hey, Babe." He smirked, giving me a kiss on the cheek. _I'm gonna go with extremely turned on...Dayum that was sexy. _

"Hey there, Sexy" I said, "Oh and Aiden?" he turned at the sound of my voice while I mimicked his smirk from earlier, "I wouldn't be so worried about your bike right now..."

He glared at me about to say something when Ms. Blake came out to see him and his bike. "You have got to be kidding me. You realize this is gonna result in a suspension."

Aiden looked over to where Isaac and I know stood with Scott and Allison, all of us with our arms folded. _Hell yea, we're __so__ badass._

* * *

I walked into the loft after finding an empty Clinic and getting nothing from Stiles and Piper, the high from our victory against the twins slowly fading. _Where's a girl's friends to celebrate when you need them? I mean really. Isaac is off catching up with/ checking in on Boyd and Scott is busy doing Scott things...and I mean, even __Lydia__ won't respond. What is going-_ I fell over, looking down at what tripped me from my thoughts. _Way to go girl, such a graceful werewolf…_

"Uh...Derek? Why are Isaac and I's bags down here?" I kicked at the offending object, finding solid resistance. "And why are they _packed_?"

"Because it's time for you to leave Steph." I got up and turned to see Derek emerge in front of the desk. "Both of you."

"Wha-" I turned around looking for a hidden camera or something. _Is this a joke? He __knows__ we have nowhere else to go...that's the whole reason we're staying here. _"What are you talking about? Did something happen today? Did you hear about what happened at school? Because I can ex-"

"I just can't deal with all of you here...Especially with Cora here now. It's too much. You need to leave." He looked to my bags, "Tonight."

"And go _where_ exactly, Derek? Back to my abusive _mother_? To my dad in _Chicago_? If he's even _there?_" I looked around, "Was _Cora_ the one to put you up to this? The little she-wolf jealous she isn't the center of-"

Derek growled, "You'd know better to watch your mouth when talking about my sister." I shrank back, as he glared at me. _Where did that rage come from?_ "And it doesn't matter where you go as long as it's not here."

The sky darkened as I tried to figure out what I had done. _We didn't to anything...I don't think...maybe that's the problem, did we not perform something to his satisfaction?_ "Derek, why are you doing this? Did I do something wrong?"

"Yea, you're not leaving." He looked at me coldly, "Just go, Stephanie...can't you see no one wants you here? Isaac wasn't even _here _half of the summer. Why don't you just do us all a favor and just leave." _What is he talking about? Did Isaac say something to you and not me?_

"Why are you doing this?" My voice grew small..._Please don't do this, why are you saying these things…_

"God, you can't take a hint can you?" He looked at me incredulously, "Just leave!"

"Derek, please..I have no where else to go…" I looked at my hands._ This really isn't my day is it...can't a girl catch a break?_

"Get. Out." _Stop! What did I do? I'm sorry, I'll do better...just tell me..._

"Derek-"

"Just GO!" He yelled, throwing his large tome of useless knowledge at me. I jumped back as it hit me in the shoulder, moving me down a little. I held onto my arm, as he kicked my bags to me, his eyes glowing red as he glared. I froze, looking at his face in shock. I thought back to what the alpha pack wants with us and my eyes widened with realization.

_Wait a minute is he- No….don't say it...if you're doing what I think you're doing I'll go, just please. I'm beggin you just don't say-_

"Good_bye_ Stephanie."

I stood there, looking at him in shock, shaking with horror and pain. _One word….one word I don't use in the entire he uses it as a way of pushing me away…_ I numbly took my bags and walked out. Ignoring whatever feelings of regret Derek tried to throw at me, and feeling my heart break as the only family I thought I had betrayed my trust. _I guess I never __was__ a part of his pack after all...looks like there's two omegas in town..._

I wandered town for a bit, trying to figure out what to do. I tried the clinic again, but Deaton was still out, same with Lydia. I couldn't monopolize the McCalls because Isaac would most likely go there and the Argents were out of the question. Sighing, I finally decided to go the one place I couldn't. Only to find them not around either. So I stood and waited outside in the rain for someone to show up. This was my last option, I wasn't going to give up on it that easily. Finally, one of the cars pulled up and a figure turned to me confused. Opening up an umbrella, the man walked over, holding it up over my head.

"Steph, it's uh..it's just me right-"

"I know," I looked through his chest, not willing to break until I absolutely had to. "Uhm...could I uhm…" Looking up, I tried to keep my voice even. "Could I maybe wait for a bit...I just really needed someone to talk to."

Pale green eyes looked at me with an unfamiliar parental concern. "Yea why don't you come inside, no need to be out in the rain. You'll catch your death."

"If only I were that lucky…"

"What was that?"

I shook my head, "Nothing...nothing."

I allowed for the strong hand to guide me into the house, "Come on, let's get you inside and warmed up."

_I don't think there's enough heat in the world that can warm the frost that Derek made…._

* * *

The room was dark as I sat on the bed without light, bulletins and tacked pictures everywhere. Thunder would flash every now and again so I could see the bright red, and green yarn. I don't know how long I sat there, but it was all blank. Even my wolf was silent, a state of shock blanketing both of us as I smoothed a pillow over my lap. My hair was hanging limply around my shoulders, my sweater hanging over the desk chair as I shivered in a black camisole. I blinked at light flooded into the room, announcing the arrival of my last remaining. There was a moment of silence as I tried to find a way to remove the shocked look on their face. Unfortunately, I wasn't the first to speak.

"Steph? What are you doing here?" I didn't say anything, just looked at my hands. "Copper…" _there goes that Disney character nickname…._I flinched slightly, keeping my gaze down. "What's wrong?"

"I-I uh...didn't know where else to go…" I whispered, looking up into concerned eyes. "I don't really _have_ anywhere else, but I thought that maybe-" I choked, the tears and the pain finally flooding over me since I had dammed it up. _You never could keep your emotions at bay with him. _"I just really need my best friend." I cried, looking back at my hands and trying to stop them from shaking. _It's because of this weakness that you're now homeless damn it!_

Stiles knelt down, placing his hands over mine, "Steph...What happened?"

"I uh...I know it's kind of sudden..." I laughed, my cheeks feeling like rivers as I went to brush at them with one of my hands gripping onto his hand with the other. "To be honest it's really sudden, but uhm...could I stay here with you for a while?"

"Derek kicked you out?!" His face was a mixture of shock and anger, "Why'd he do that?"

"It's my own fault, really. I should have known it was too good to be true…" _Don't...he may know your story, but if you start now you won't be able to stop. Ah, the wolf speaks...want to remind me of what I was like without you? I think I'm pretty aware of that, so thanks for nothing._

"That what would be too good to be true?" I looked into his eyes, into those chocolatey orbs of concern and caring that I didn't deserve. _No...but clearly you won't listen to me...why else would you go to the human?_

"That I was actually good enough for people to care about me." I stood up, ignoring my wolf and moving to the window. "I didn't deserve any of this...not the Bite, not the friendships I've gained. Not even the freedom from my family. None of it. Derek helped me to see that, but the worst part of this newfound realization? I _liked_ it." My wolf was silent, but I could tell she was hurt when I said I didn't deserve her, that I shouldn't have her. But I didn't stop.

"I _liked_ feeling like I was a part of something. I _liked _being a person of this world and not just a meager cog in the machine that never got see the light of day. I was getting too comfortable with a _dream_." I turned to look at Stiles, "But all dreams have to end...no matter how good they are...No matter how real you want them to be." _Well damn….if that's how you really feel._

I watched as he slowly stood up, looking about as broken as I felt. _Now for the final nail in the coffin, it's you Stiles...snap me back to reality, snap me back into my closet so that Mother can-_ My stilled as thin, warm arms enveloped me. _That was __definitely__ not what I thought was going to happen…_

"Stop it, okay? Just stop it." His voice was scratchy, like he was trying not to cry.

"I'm trying to?" I sobbed, stiffening involuntarily at his touch, "don't you see that I'm trying to make things better for everyone?"

"That's your problem, Steph. You don't care about getting hurt, so long as everyone else okay. But who is going to take care of Isaac if you just 'wake up?' huh? Who is going to sit around and joke with me and Piper about the mundane things we have to do even in the middle of all the supernatural things we have? Who is going to help Scott on track and help him balance that mundane crap with the supernatural shit he deals with? Hell, who is going to keep me out of trouble when my sarcasm gets me into something I can't deal with on my own?" He gripped me a little tighter, as if to prove to me that this wasn't a dream I'd fabricated.

"You say that you're not _good enough_ for any of us? That you're not _good enough_ to be our friend or to be the werewolf you are? That you don't deserve it? Well do you know how I'd feel if you weren't in my life? I'd be devastated. There's no one else who helps me feel like I'm a part of all of this. I mean I had Lydia in the human department, but apparently she can sense things now or is susceptible to supernatural mojo." He laughed humorlessly.

"You are the one who helps me figure everything out? Why do you think everything goes after you and me? You are an integral part of the team. Derek be damned. And you are _too good_ for him and _too good_ to lose." He sighed and pulled away, looking into my eyes, my wolf speaking up first, _You may not have expected it, but you sure as hell __needed__ it...needed __him.__ Why else would you have him? He's the only one outside of Isaac who helps you see you for yourself...and I like who we are...'Derek be damned.'_

"I need you Stephanie...now more than ever. And Isaac needs you too. You saved our asses several times already, where else would we be if it wasn't for you?"

I looked at him, too floored to say anything, "Stiles…"

"And yes, to answer your initial question, you can stay here as long as you need. My dad mentioned it when I came in, saying something about being worried after seeing you in the rain with your bags." He tilted his head to the side, "And Scott's mom called to say that Isaac showed up to ask Scott if he could stay with them. They're all worried about you, and asked for us to keep an eye out for you."

"They...they really said that?" _Can we stop drowning in self doubt now? You have a network of people who care about you! And if that speech that even had __me__ reaching for the tissues didn't snap you out of it, I don't know what will._

"Of course they did. You've touched more lives than you think, McGrath, you can't go leaving us now."

I sniffled lightly, "Oh really? And what do you suppose I do about Derek?" _Who needs that asswipe when you have friends like Stiles and Piper? Pull a Scott and form your own pack...though you'll have to share Little Red with his Best friend..._

"Well. I don't know about him per say, but something tells me he wasn't doing it out of malice. If that were the case, he would have kicked you out _months ago_."

"Gee...that makes me feel _so much _Better. You're good at this." I said, feeling better in spite of it all. "Thanks, Stiles...I knew I could count on you to help me for some reason or another."

"Yeah that you're stupid and you needed to get some sense knocked int-OWW!" He rolled his head around as he held onto his shoulder. "What was that for?"

"You were pushing it." I shrugged, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go downstairs so I can sleep on the couch."

"No you're not." I turned in the doorway with a raised eyebrow. "Come on, I'll show you to the spare-To _your _bedroom."

I smiled grabbing my bags and following him. Once he took me the all of four feet to get to the room next to his, I pulled him in for a hug. "Thanks Stiles."

"Don't thank me," He sighed, hugging me back, "I was only saying the truth."

"Yea, but that's what makes you so important." I pulled away, "You help me see the truth even when I'm not willing to." I gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "You're like my own little guardian angel."

He smiled, "Well...I don't know about that, but I will be your personal wake up call whenever you need to be snapped back into the reality you claim is a dream."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

_*Sniff* _

_Man was that hard to write! Sorry about the emotional ending guys! I needed to try and make it a little different from Isaac's as well as start a set up for Hotel California with Steph's background. I also don't want you guys to think she totally forgot about it. But at least she has Stiles to help her out, yea? I missed their moments that I had in Finding me, but Fixing you. (Also, he totally stole her nickname from her hair and the Fox and the Hound because that's their go to Disney movie! Fun fact…)_

_Anyway, hope you liked, and please let me know if you did! _

_~Gwen_


	8. Crushing Guilt and Bleeding wounds

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_They killed that kid, they killed the girl that saved me. And I'm gonna kill them too." _

""_Well then I'd have to tell you the whole story about my family and that wouldn't make me the orphan that I'm sure you take me for, so you tell me."_

_Better you be stuck in that small ass space than that treturous huntress bitch who lately has been reminding you more and more of your past. It always is the women who hurt you most, isn't it…_

"_Just go, Stephanie...can't you see no one wants you here? Why don't you just do us all a favor and just leave."_

"_I-I uh...didn't know where else to go…I'm not good enough for anyone else…" _

"_I need you Stephanie...now more than ever. And Isaac needs you too. who else going to take care of Isaac and be there for him better than you?"_

* * *

_Chapter 8: Crushing Guilt and Bleeding Wounds_

"No...No! I refuse to go to this stupid Cross Country meet!" I said, trying to pull away from Stiles' grip as he dragged me away from the Jeep he'd forced me into. "I mean seriously after all that happened yesterday I'm not feeling like pretending to be normal." Stiles sighed, his eyes killing me with their sympathy.

"Steph, there's strength in numbers, or so Scott said when I tried to talk _him _out if it. Now, lets just go. Everyone else is already at or on the bus."

"Or...you could just leave me here and I can just-Ahh!" I yelped slightly, pain ripping at my shoulder, the of the shoulder tee (which I had falling over the opposite joint) covering the cuts, but it fell so that it was showing the tears in the skin.

"Shit did I do that?" He moved to see, but I flinched away, not wanting him to see just how bad it was.

Isaac flew over, Boyd close behind him, "What did you _do_ Stilinski?!" He pushed Stiles away, fussing over me, while I tried to hid the wound.

"No he didn't do anything, I swear it was…" I bit my lip. " I just pulled away to hard…it's fine." They both looked at me worriedly and I shook my head, "Come on, let's just get on the damn bus…" I muttered, moving ahead of them, "Even if Derek's body hasn't even been recovered from that stupid Mall…"

_I clacked away at the keys, sighing in frustration as I looked from the unhelpful computer screen and looked futilely at my phone for any messages from Piper. __Talk about a time to fall off the face of the earth, Pips...Five days and __**nothing.**__ I sighed again, rubbing my temples as Stiles came back, holding twin mugs of tea in his hands. _

"_Any luck?" _

"_Nope...nothing on any Darach or motives __for__ a Darach. And nothing from Derek on their supposed 'plan' on taking the fight to Deucalion." I accepted the mug with a shrug, "Did you dad get the dinner I packed him?" _

"_Begrudgingly…" He smirked, shaking his head, "He thinks we're trying to kill him with all this healthy food." _

"_Too bad we're doing the opposite." I laughed, getting up and moving to the bed after placing the mug on his end table. "Have you heard from-" _

"_No...she hasn't been answering my texts or calls since we told her about the Darach with Deaton the other day." _

"What the hell does she think she's _doing_ here?" Isaac spat, interrupting my bitter wondering on whether or not my boss actually _knew_ about it all. I looked up from my seat in front of him and Boyd. "Haven't you done _enough_?"

"Look, I'm not here to talk to _you_ _pup_ so shut up and let me explain." I felt a chill enter my heart as my shoulder started to throb and I looked up in the girl who, because I didn't follow orders, hurt me far deeper than anyone outside of my family had. _Hun you can't dwell on that...Yeah well, she's right in front of me right now so sorry for thinking about it what's in my face._

"Steph, just let me-"

"No." I snapped, looking straight into her eyes, "Isaac's right. You've done _enough_."

"If you only knew…" She shook her head, _is really going to try to __justify__ herself? _"Look if you would just listen for five sec-"

"How can I believe you after you laughed off every suspicion I had about you? Serious or not, you made me feel so _stupid_ to have even _thought about it,_ only for me to be _right._"

"Steph, lets be real here okay? Cut the self-pity crap. I gave you all the hints I could without actually telling you outright." She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. _Oh, __you're__ frustrated? Huh...didn't think liars could feel that way when dealing with the consequences of their actions. _I sighed, knowing I needed to calm down, especially if my wolf was whimpering for me to calm down. "You don't even know..." _Says the girl who pinned me down while I watched my alpha die..._

"Alright everyone in your seats." Coach called out, the bus doors closing. "Blakewood!"

She turned to look at him with an arrogant expression, "Yes Coach?"

"What the hell are you doing on the bus? How many times to I have to tell you that you're not-"

"On the team. Right, I got it…" She gritted out. "I was just hoping to talk to-"

Coach wasn't hearing it, his face getting red as he tried to keep himself calm. Suddenly, his phone buzzed and he snorted, "Well it looks like it's your lucky day: I just got an email from Murphy's parents saying he's got food poisoning. You're on the team for the meet. Congradulations." _Damn…it would have been at least a little bearable if he had yelled…_but no, now I'm stuck on a bus with her.

"Actually Coach… as much as I would love to be on the team." She cast an anxious look around the bus. "I have some other things to do. So…."

They both stumbled as the bus lurched forward, making me look back a few seats and giving me an idea. _Oh, you are so evil..._"Well it looks like you have no choice in the matter, now. Better take a seat next to McGrath."

"I'd really rather not." Piper mumbled under her breath while Isaac decided it would be a good idea to _growl_ at our coach. _Way to and keep us covert. I appreciate the sentiment, but we have to be more careful than ever now..._

"Uhh Coach?" They both looked at me, as if remembering I was more than just a body in a seat. "Maybe since she's our newest member of the team and all, she could be on Jared duty. Something tells me he'll need her _help._" I raised an eyebrow in sadistic glee as she looked at the motion sick teen in horror. "Have fun." I sang as Coach nodded, motioning her to the seat. I thought to the last time I talked to her _before _I found out the truth...

"_So has your phone died in the past few days? I mean, seriously, I've been blowing up your messages and haven't even gotten a 'hi' in reply." I teased, carrying in the newest delivery of medical supplies to the observation table. She jumped as I dropped the box onto it with a sigh. "And you're super jumpy today…" She still didn't say anything. "Earth to Blakewood!" _

"_Yea, uh, I couldn't pay for my cell phone this month and they turned it off…" She said, turning around to look at some of the different vials and medicines we had out. _

"_How'd you manage that when we got paid yesterday?" I looked at her strangely while opening the box and checking the invoice. _

"_Had other things to worry about." She suddenly snapped. "Why do you care anyway?"_

_I flinched back involuntarily, thinking back to Derek's words the other night at the loft. "__Maybe__ I was worried when I haven't been seeing you around and when I do, you act like you don't see me…" _

_A shadow passed across her features, she looked as if she was in pain but it quickly faded behind a blank mask. "Yeah well. I've been busy." She added softly, "Sorry."_

_I looked at her face and noticed the lines of worry that normally lined her face around me had doubled. Biting my lip I nodded, "I mean it's okay and everything, it's just that Stiles and I are worried about you."_

"_Maybe you guys should stop worrying about __me__ and worry more about yourselves for once." _

_I looked at her as she snapped again, "What is that supposed to mean?"_

_She looked at me for a moment before shaking her head, "Nothing. Just forget it." _

"Steph...Stephanie…Steph!" Isaac's voice pulled me from the memory as I jolted up from my reclined position, wincing with the pain that laced through my shoulder. "Why isn't your shoulder healing?"

I hastily pulled up the treaturous sleeve to my shirt, "It's nothing...I'm fine."

Boyd snorted, glaring back at Piper and then to Ethan who was next to Danny, "I'm pretty sure in order for it to be fine, it would be healed, and a bleeding cut isn't a healed wound."

"What are you talking about, it's not-" _Seriously, a few cuts on my shoulder is nothing, especially since Stiles has apparently been texting me saying Scott isn't healing…._

"Cut the crap Steph." I looked over to Isaac and forced myself to not look at his hurt and concerned eyes, looking instead at my boots and play with my leather and beaded bangle. "I saw it when Stiles pulled on it. And considering how he reacted, I'm guessing he doesn't know either."

"No, and it's going to _stay_ that way." I snapped, toying with my necklaces now as I looked to Isaac pleadingly. _You really like to play with things when you're upset or nervous...uch a human action, it's sickening...Though I do like this turquoise bead matched with the guitar pick, but 'you rock my world'? Seriously? Do cheesy lines make you feel better? _"He's been breathing down my neck since you and I got kicked out of the loft, getting worse last night. If he finds out about this he'll be unbearable, and Scott needs him more than me right now."

"Yea, as Scott sits there and does _nothing_, we have two Alpha's on this bus just waiting to make their move."

I looked to him, noting how angry he was while Isaac tried to help, "Stop thinking about it, man."

"Like, you both aren't thinking about it too?" He looked at me, gesturing, "Hell, Steph's not even healing! I bet is has _something_ to do with _them_!"

Isaac sighed, looking at us, "Well, stop thinking about it. All of us…" _Since when did you become the leader of the group? Probably since he's the only one who is thinking clearly right now? As much as I hate to admit it, and you __know__ I do...but Piper is right...the self pity crap needs to stop. You need to try and keep Boyd and Isaac from doing something stupid, it's what Derek would want you to do..._

Boyd shook his head while I nodded, "I can't." He groaned, trying to look at me for help.

"Sorry Boyd...but I'm with him on this too...getting mad isn't going to help…"

"I still can't sit here and do nothing!" _He's thinking about more than just Derek...he wants to avenge Erica too..._

Isaac sighed, "Well, there's nothing you can do about it either."

Boyd flashed his eyes at us, "You sure about that?"

"_Steph where are you going?" I turned, looking back as Stiles tried to follow me out of the house, my phone still buzzing from the newest text. "Is it Piper? Did you hear from her?" _

"_Uh no actually…just," I shrugged, looking a little guilty, "a battle summons from Derek?" _

"_The guy kicked you to the curb to fend for yourself, and you are __still__ going to fight for him?" Stiles shook his head, putting his hands on his hips, "We need to teach you how to say no to people." _

"_He's my alpha, Stiles. What else can I do?" __**This is the pack life, Little Red...I wish this never has to happen to you. I don't think I could take the thought of you making these sacrifices for me**__._

"_You can __not__ put your life on the line for him?! Find another way to help!" _

"_Would you say the same thing to Scott? You know as well as I do that he's going to try and stop this from happening to help us. Just like him, I'm not going __with__ Derek. Sure I'm __doing__ this __for__ Derek but I'm also __doing it__ for __more__ than just Derek. I'm doing this for Boyd, who is going to be out of his mind trying to __avenge Erica__. I'm doing it for Scott, who is trying to stop all of this __bloodshed__. I'm doing this for Isaac, who I know is going to __follow__Scott__. I'm doing this for Cora and Allison, who though I may not like them, I don't need to see them __suffer__ any more. And I'm doing this for __you__ and __Lydia__ and so I don't have to worry about that __filthy__ pack using either of you against us when you can't __defend__yourselves__." I looked over to see Derek and Boyd in the formers car. "I'm __doing this__ because I don't want to lose anyone else. I'm __sick__ of having to say goodbye to people just as I get to know them. And I don't want them to find Piper either...even if she's been acting strange lately, I need to make sure she's safe too." _

_Stiles sighed, looking at the ground and then at where the other two were waiting, "Just promise you'll be careful?"_

_I winked at him, trying to keep it light in te face of everything, __**meaning you are about to lie to his face...**__**shut up.**__ "I always am." _

I opened my eyes as I felt my shoulder start to hurt again, and leaned forward to press a pad-_Ewww! Get over yourself it's clean and absorbent and it'll keep the shirt in place as well as attach to your bra….you now way too much about uses of a __pad__ as an ace- oh right...nevermind- _to my wound in an effort to get it to heal on its own. I ignored the guilt that ate away at my stomach as I thought of how I lied and am continuing to lie to Stiles about the care I took when fighting the others by looking at the bumper traffic and the barely moving bus. _Like you said, Scott needs him…_I winced pulling the shirt over the 'bandaging' and looking to Isaac as he locked his phone.

He sighed, looking out the window, "There's a jackknifed tractor a few Miles ahead. Could miss the meet."

"Oh, the horror" I muttered, trying to get a look when Isaac's concerned voice made me look behind me again.

"Boyd? Boyd? What…" My eyes widened as I looked at his claws digging into my seat.

"Boyd...You need to-" He went to stand up, but Scott, who had apparently, struggled over- and _he looks worse than you do….like way worse-_grabbed his wrist.

The darker teen glared at him, "Let go."

Scott held fast, locking eyes with him, as he crouched next to him, "You got a plan. Tell me your brilliant plan, and I'll let go. What are you gonna do?" He looked over to Ethan, _Don't forget who else is there too..._"Kill them, right here? And then what? What are you gonna do after that?"

Boyd looked at him even angrier, "I don't care. You guys don't know what they-" He looked at me, "What she _helped _them do."

I looked to Scott as he held a struggling Boyd back. Seeing he needed help-_the poor kid is gonna bleed out himself if he doesn't stop-_ I spoke up.

"You're right about us not knowing, Vernon-" _Whoa...what's with the real name shit? Uh, that maybe it will help to break his anger? Okay, good point, carry on-_ "But as far as you not caring? You forgot to think of something."

Scott nodded to me thankfully before looking to Boyd. "I do."

Isaac leaned over seeing Scott's wound finally, _not that it was hard, his shirt has a big red spot that is getting darker and darker ...__so__ thankful I wore black. "_Whoa, whoa, you're still hurt! And you look way worse than…" I glared at him as Scott kept his gaze on Boyd, who was looking at the smaller teen with worry.

"I'm fine." _You look like you might pass out just by saying that, Scott. Sorry if I don't believe you, not that I should be talking..._"Give me a chance to figure something out, something that doesn't have to end with someone else dying."

Boyd nodded as Scott let him go, "Okay."

Scott started to get up, but was struggling, so I stood to help him, hissing when he used my shoulder for support, "Come on...I'll help you to your seat."

Scott looked at Isaac then to me, "Uh...I'm good..but thanks."

"If _you_" I looked over at Isaac who tried to hide the fact that he was shaking his head, _yea, he failed miserably on that one. "_Are sure..."

"Yea, I'm fine...just don't do anything rash...any of you." He looked at each of us pointedly, or was it painfully? I couldn't really tell. _Me neither._

"No promises...I might beat up my mate the next time he decides to be overprotective." I said, fixing him with a glare before slumping back into my seat. _Not the first time I've wanted to…._

_We entered the dark mall, following Scott and Isaac as they went in. __**I hate it when I'm right about that boy…**_

_I shifted uncertainly on my feet, looking to Derek when we stopped in a shadowed spot. "Are you sure that there's no other way to go about this?" _

_Derek nodded, "It's the only way to stop this for good." _

"_Cut the head of the snake." Boyd said, "We need to do this before they hurt anyone else… or worse." _

_I bit my, still unsure even as we stepped forward, Deucalion having announced our presence to the other two. _

_Scott turned to see all of us, shocked, "You __knew__ I would do this?" __**Uh yea... You are noble to a fault Scott. "**__Derek, don't. You can't do this so no one gets hurt. If someone else dies…"_

_Isaac looked to me with a furious look in his eyes, as if he was trying to figure out a way to convey he needed me safe, but that he also knew I needed to fight for the pack. __**I know, bab, it's quite the bind...I feel the same way about you. **_

_Derek glared at the Demon wolf, speaking to Scott. "Him. Just him." We all wolfed out, my vision reddening and my wolf itching for a fight, __**Let's do this thing and kick some-wait why is he laughing?**_

_Deucalion looked at us amused, "Just me? Now, how's a blind man find his way into a place like this all on his own? Do come and tell them, my little __pet__." _

"_We already know about you little twins so stop being so cryptic and-" I froze as familiar figure appeared, not even looking at me. Isaac speaking in shock and disgust._

"_It was you! __You__ were the one she was warning me about!" He looked to me, "The girl who saved me. When she said to keep an eye out for the pack members, I thought she just meant the twins but it was you...wasn't it?"_

_Piper clapped sarcastically, "Well what do you know? The pup __can__ be taught after all." _

_I roared, my whole world shattering and a piece of my heart ripping itself out of my chest, but instead of pain, however, I was filled with rage. _

"_YOU __TRAITOR__!" _

"_Steph don't-" Derek and Isaac both reached for me, but it was too late. I ran up the escalator Deucalion wasn't on and tackled her. The motion sent us tumbling to the ground and all hell broke loose._

_The Twins had Scott and Isaac while Kali went after Cora, Ennis fighting Derek as he went to go after the Demon, but was stopped by Kali only for her to get attacked by Cora again. I went to get up, but Piper had beaten me to it, shining her eyes at me. __**Her red eyes. The eyes of an Alpha. The eyes of a liar. The eyes of a **__**traitor**__**. **__She swiped at me, knocking my head to my side, and making it hit the ground with a dizzying crack. She kicked me around for a bit, as I tried to get up. Finally, I decided to fight with my words in order to get a better chance. _

"_You're nothing but a traitor!" A spat, screaming in pain as her claws bit into my shoulder. __**Ignore it, it'll go away soon, just keep fighting. **__Taking her second of hesitation as an in, I slashed at her stomach, trying to get her off of me. When I connected more than I had initially intended, I knew that my tactic was working. _

"_I hate you." Three little words I had never even said to my mother or family. __**Don't think, talk, try to distract from your pain and create some in her.**__"I wish I had listened to Derek about staying away!" I paused glaring at her from my know upright position on my feet. While the fighting continued around us, I was shocked at the truthfulness of my words, my thoughts speaking for me, "I got too close and now you betrayed me just like __everyone__else__has__."_

_**I needed you...I needed my friend who had helped me to forget my insecurities. I needed the friend who made me feel like I was part of something in a way that was different from my mating bond or even whatever Stiles and I had…you were the sister I always wanted...the family I never had. But it was all a lie.**_

_Together we turned and watched in mutual horror as Derek tumbled while he and Scott took on Kali's mate. I went to save him-__**let this be my penance...even if I die- **__Only for Piper to pin me to the ground, cutting anew into my shoulder as she prevented me from helping, and I was forced to watch helpless as Derek disappeared off the edge of the level, Ennis going down with him. _

_All of the noise quieted, no one saying a word. I stopped moving, tears flowing down my cheeks uncontrollably. Her eyes might have been glassy, but I didn't care, and delivered the final blow, to who I'll never know, pushing her off of me. _

"_This is all your fault." __**This is all **__**my**__** fault.**_

I hastily brushed the tears from my eyes, my shoulder on fire now as the 'it'll heal' wound kept working it's guilt-laced magic, Coach's voice making me wish I had talked them into letting me stay behind.

"Stilinski, I already told you, we're not gonna stop."

"Coach, it's five minutes for a bathroom break, okay? We've been on this thing for, like, three hours…" Cupcake blew the whistle in his face to try and shut him up, "It's 60 miles to the next rest stop…" **whistle** "Being cooped up for hours is not good…" **Whistles slightly longer** "You know, our bladders aren't exactly…" **whistle **"Coach, this is…" **Double whistle **Can you…" **several short whistles **_**"**_Please…" **Whistles** Stiles looked at him with extreme agitation. " Let me talk! I'm…" **Whistle** with some added laughter from Coach, who was _clearly_ enjoying this a little too much. "Every time…"

Coach took his whistle and blew it into Stiles face for several seconds before snapping, "Get back to your seat, Stilinski!" _Why is he so eager to stop? Is Scott okay?_

Stiles, who had been stewing since the final spurt of whistling, growled out a shouted "Okay!" and started going back to his seat. _You gotta admit, the little human playing wolf was adorable...if I wasn't in my own little cesspool of guilt and worry right now, sure. Right... Sorry._

Coach turned to go back to his seat, looking to our poor teammate who apparently had been rejoined with Piper. "Jared, keep your eyes on the horizon."

I watched as Stiles moved to the seat, motioning for her to move over after he looked down dejectedly at how the two had their hands linked. _Gee, why don't you just twist that sword you impeded hilt deep into his back...it's not like you care anyway. _She refused but ended up getting smooshed between the two as Stiles shoved himself onto the seat. Isaac put a warning hand on my shoulder, shaking his head as I glared at them.

"I won't do anything unless she does something to him." I muttered as she snapped for him to go away. "And if she knows what's _good for her_, she won't."

"Hey, Jared. How you doing?" Stiles's voice had me tense, scared at what he was planning on doing. What it was, I don't know, but I do know that when I saw Piper leap into Stiles' lap I had Isaac hissing in pain as I grabbed his hand. _You want to tear away at my resolve? Fine, but __stop__ playing with his...he's only human, he can't take as much as we can. _Suddenly, she was off of him and at the front of the bus.

Before I could react, there was a retching noise and an eruption of groans and whimpers, my own nose burning with it's extra abilities. _Oh god...jared why would you have __mexican__ before going on a five hour bus ride?_

* * *

"Jared, you suck!" Coach yelled as we all quickly fled the stench at a rest stop about twenty tortuous minutes later, hanging out of the window with a can if air freshener, "Hey, somebody grab some towels, or a mop, or a new bus."

Isaac and I stood against the bus with Boyd as Allison and Stiles carried Scott to a bathroom along with Lydis _where the hell did they come from?_

"So Steph, about your shoulder," I turned as Boyd looked at me, slightly concerned. "I've been thinking, and I think you are stopping yourself from healing...I mean, you've been roiling with guilt all day, even _I _could sense it…

"Oh, really? _You_ can feel the guilt?" I turned to him, "Tell, me what does it _feel_ like to know that the death of your alpha was because you decided to become _besties_ with the spy who gave _everything_ to Deucalion? Really, because I want to know what you _feel about it._" His eyes widened at my outburst, but it was Isaac that calmed me, making me see what I was doing.

"Steph, it's not your fault…but I think you know that…" Isaac's voice brought me back to where we were. "You were tricked by someone who took advantage of your kind heart. And it is terrible... I wish I could help you, but I can't until you stop projecting your pain onto others and accept that." _Damn he has a way of explaining us to a 'T'..._

I opened my mouth to say something, but Ethan came up, an amused look on his face, "Sorry...was I ruining a moment?" _What is he doing? This is more like something Aiden would do from what I recall...oh but what do we __actually__ know? It could have all been a part of the act. _

Isaac clenched his jaw, "Back away _slowly_."

"Oh, I _was_ wasn't I? Well, I hope that you can help your little mate figure out where _exactly _she messed up to personally hand us your pack on a silver-"

Suddenly, the twin was thrown up was against a nearby tree, Isaac wailing on him while we all surrounded him. Boyd and Danny both worked to try and get him off, but they were pushed away, the former trying to get me to do something. The crowd was deafening and all I could feel was my guilt and Isaac's anger fighting for dominance in my body. I stood without any real knowledge of what was going until I saw her move towards Isaac_._ Instangy, my wolf took over, her anger melding with Isaac's as my guilt faded away, and I felt a slight sting as my shoulder stitched itself together. _Well would you look at that, Boyd was right..._I moved right as she pushed at him, positioning myself between her and Isaac. _Oh no you don't._

"Don't you _dare _touch him." I snapped, sharing a glare equally as pissed as hers before grabbing her wrist and throwing her off of him. She pushed me away, trying to leave. _Oh, no, Sweetheart, you see little sweet and innocent Steph is gone now. She's taking a back seat while the __real__ wolf comes to the fight.. _

"Leaving so soon?" _Okay, I think when Isaac said to stop projecting my pain onto others, he didn't mean this...am I really doing this? This isn't me...this isn't __you__. _

"Not now Stephanie." She warned. _Oh...I'm sorry, is the turmoil __you__ caused me interrupting some important plan of yours? _

"But why?" My voice took that of a valley girl with fake innocence._ Okay really? I know you're a wolf and all, but __really__?_ " I mean, you and you little pack are getting _just _what you wanted, aren't you? I mean first you kill my alpha, now you wait for us to make the first move so that _your _alpha can give you the kill order? Why leave?" I shook my head, rolling my shoulder back to ward off a renewed injury.s if to protect if from further harm. "Hell, why wait for him to give you the order? I mean seriously, what use is being an alpha if you can't even _think_ for yourself?" _Does that do it for you?_

I watched as my words attacked her, not sure why all of the bitter thoughts I had throughout the day were being spoken out loud. _What are you doing? What is this? I can't say all of these things. _All of my pain and accusation was deflecting from myself as my wolf looked at the 'real' problem, the real monster. _But what does it make me when I say all of these things? __Thinking__ them is one thing, but __saying__ them to her is a whole nother world of hurt I never thought I would ever give to people._

And just when I thought she was done, my wolf delivered the final blow, putting a hand on my hip, while I watched, helplessly scratching at the surface. "Though thinking may be a bit of a struggle for you, since you had to have someone teach you how to _act_ like you might care about someone other than yourself for even a moment of your life."

_This is from her...From how you felt last night. Her betrayal turned you into this Steph...I'm only trying to return the favor. You wanted the Bite for the power to fight back against __bullies__ like her. Well, now I'm here and I'm fighting-_

The growl vibrated low, turning into a menacing snarl as Piper lurched forward, hitting me in the jaw followed by her her hands on my neck with her claws pinching at my skin. She pulled me into her face, my feet dragging as she held me over her. _You gotta admit...this is kinda humorous with her being short and all...ahem….Sorry, but don't worry, I'll get us out of this._

She gave us this ungodly smirk, tightening her grip _after I get her to let go somehow...good luck with __that__. _

"You're absolutely right little beta." She paused, my throat closing up as I choked on my own words. _Well actually you're choking on __mine_. _Again, sorry about that, I kinda forgot what we were up against._ "I'm an Alpha-" _yea that…_- "and I don't need orders to _act _or _care_."

I snapped, thinking back to Stiles, both on the bus and when I told him about Piper when he took care of me last night. _That's it..I'm going to kill her. She really didn't care….about me, about Danny or scott...About __Stiles__, small frail and pures __Stiles__ who let her into his life __without__question__. She ever cared about any of it. Well guess what, Bitch? That means __I__don't__have__to__care__either__. _I felt a smirk pull against my lips, "Good as long as we're _clear_." I pulled up my knee sharply catching her in the stomach and using my height, gained the needed leverage to twist her arm behind her back. "I hope you have fun telling _Stiles_ how _little_ you care. Because if he has to hear it from _anyone? _It better come. from. _you._" _I refuse to be the one to break his heart. Not when it's you that have broken mine or whoever else you've done this two thanks to your stupid pack. _

She cracked me in the head with her own, breaking away. Sensing where this was going I started to move in a circle, her following suit. _Can't even find your own fighting moves, __can__you__?_

"Oh? Is that so…And why are you so worried about him?" She paused using my own look of mock thought. _This is copycat shit is going to get old __real__ fast._ "I mean he is after all… only a friend…." A smile slowly forced its way onto her face. "Right?"

_And there it is. That pretend jealousy of yours. Hell it might even be the only think you __do__ care about, ironically night. I mean despite everything, you __still_ _feel stupid ass need to fish on whether or not we are more than- Well shit! I bet it was you that have been putting those doubts in __Isaac's__ head! Does your treachery know no bounds?_

I snarled, my wolf trying to force herself out, but I kept her in check, my eyes flashing for only a few seconds. _Down girl...I got this...I know __exactly__ what to say to get her back for that jab. _"He's more than a _friend_. He's _Pack. _He's _family._" I dropped myself down to pull as sweep kick and stood over her as she fell, "But why are you so _interested_ if you_ don't care_? He is just a means to an end?" I copied her smile, _Or is it really you copying her copy of your own smile? _"Right?" _Okay, I'll give you that one kid...nice wordplay. _

_Then why does it feel so wrong...this whole fight is making me feel like a monster….Like my mother..._

As I stood shocked by this realization, Piper scissored kicked her legs, bringing me down to the floor before she pounced down to pin me in place, _Well this feels pretty familiar…_

"Actually…" I cringed as she leaned closer to whisper in my ear, my skin crawling with the tone of her voice. "It wasn't Stiles I was supposed to go after." she paused giving out a slight sigh, "No.. you see good ole' Deucalion wanted me to go after your mate, love." I felt my eyesight go red as my wolf took hold at the mention of Isaac, my whole body shaking with fury. She just grinned amusement clear in her eyes. "He was my means to an end as you put it from the very beginning." I pulled back, "You just happened to be in the way."

"You _Bitch!_" The roar escaped my throat unbidden, my wolf half shifted as she went to protect what was hers. _And mine… She isn't going anywhere near him or anyone else. I refuse to let her hurt __anyone__ again. _Just as I went to move, a figure showed up, making me pull away and stop my wolf.

"Guys!" Stiles shouted, making us both glare at him as he stood between us.

"Just move out of the way, Little Red..." I snapped, needing to breath, my chest heaving, with the anger and pain. "I don't want to hurt you. _No promises _from her, though." _Seriously though, Stiles? Please move and let me do this. It's the only way to protect you and everyone else._

"This isn't your fight." Piper added, flexing her hands and retreating her claws. _Huh… interesting…_"

"Melanie… Oops, damn, I mean Stephanie and I were just having a nice chat about some things."

_Oh that's it. NO one calls my girl by her torturer throughout her childhood! _The wolf moved forward to lunch for her throat, but arms that did _not _belong to, Stiles or Isaac wrapped themselves around me, pulling me away slowly. "I am going to _kill you! _You hear me? _Kill you!__" _

"Get in line." Piper replied still taunting as she smiled with the split lip I gave her, "You aren't my biggest concern right now. Not anymore."

I struggled, trying to get to her after everything she did. _To me, to Stiles….to everyone with Derek..._"Stop Steph...She's _not_ _worth_ it." Boyd's voice was adamant, and shocking, making my wolf give in, listening to his words, but my human side refused to let go. _No she's a monster. and she's trying to make me one too! She's trying to turn me into the same woman my mother was! Let me go! Let me- _Boyd backed away slowly , not letting go. "Think of Erica...Think of _Isaac…_ he needs you right now." At the sound of _his_ name paired with my former best friend, I stopped, falling limp into his arms. _I wonder if she killed Erica so that she had an in as my best friend...I wonder if it was her goal to try and corrupted me..._

_Try? She succeeded...Look at us: We've turned into a monster. She tried to leave things the way they were, but we insisted. And now? We've destroyed any chances of making it up to her, falling victim to our own mixed rage. We let the untamed beast free with innocent people on the line. If you hadn't stopped me when stiles showed up…We'd have more than Derek's blood on our hands.  
_

Boyd stopped moving and I was transferred into warm arms that tried to sooth me, rubbing small circles along my back. I looked up at Isaac, uncertain of what to do or say.

"Steph, what happened? Are you okay?" He inquired softly, concern in his eyes, as I just let the tears flow and he cupped my face.

"I almost killed her...Isaac." I gasped, falling into his chest. "I turned into my mother, and I destroyed her with my hate and my insecurities…"

Coach ushered us back into the bus, Boyd switching places with me so that Isaac could try to talk me out of the newfound guilt I felt. _But hey….at least we know that we can fight for what we belive in now...but we need to try and maybe learn how to do it from a much better moral standpoint. _All I could do was lean into him, and cry as I wondered what had caused me to become such a different person in the span of just one bus ride.

* * *

_Well that was a very emotional and action packed chapter! I can't believe that all that happened, and I __wrote__ it! Hope you guys are enjoying it, and I hope that it wasn't too confusing! Just pop in any questions, comments, or concerns in the review and I'll try to fix it for ya!_

_Thank as always for reading!_

_~Gwen_


	9. Suicide Motel and Wolfsbane Forgiveness1

**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**

_Previously on DES:_

"_Well then I'd have to tell you the whole story about my family and that wouldn't make me the orphan that I'm sure you take me for, so you tell me."_

"_Those are from your-?" Isaac looked at the scars and bruises while I nodded, "Ever since I was a kid."_

"_I-I uh...didn't know where else to go…I'm not good enough for anyone else…" I mean my own father left me to my abusive mother after Joshua's death when I was ten…_

"_I almost killed her...Isaac."_

_**She's trying to make me into a monster too! She's trying to turn me into the same woman my mother was! Honey she did more than just try: She succeeded. We've turned into a monster.**_

* * *

_Chapter 9: Suicide Motel and Wolfsbane Forgiveness_

_Stiles stood between me and the other figure begging for there to be a stop to the fight. _

"_Just move out of the way,Stiles…" I shook my head, looking behind him with a dark glare. "I don't want to hurt you. No promises from her, though."._

_He just looked at me strangely as I heard a bark of laughter. Moving out out of the way, I looked into my own eyes, shock coursing through me. __**What the-?**_

"_Oh, Honey, how do you plan on fighting yourself? I mean it was only a matter of time you turned out like this." 'I' turned around smiling as another figure walked forward. "Is'nt that right..." _

_The figure showed up, a sadistic smile on her face "Mom." _

I gasped, struggling in Isaac's arms. He looked down at me in surprise as I regained my bearings, other students getting off the bus. _ What the hell…_ I looked back a few seats to see Piper, a bored expression on her face.

"_This isn't your fight Stiles. Melanie… Oops, damn, I mean Stephanie and I were just having a nice chat about some things."_

"_I am going to __**kill you**__! You hear me? __**Kill you**__!__" _

"_Get in line. You aren't my biggest concern right now. Not anymore." _

I looked grabbed my bag when Boyd passed it to me getting up numbly. _That's right...you guys nearly took each other out earlier…_

As we got off the bus we were met by the most disappointing looking motel I'd ever seen in real life. We stood near the back of the group, Scott getting off the bus followed by Stiles, who looked at the place in disgust.

Scott looked up at it, trying to seem cheerful now that he was all healed up like me. _Though I doubt he had to almost kill somebody to get there. "_I've seen worse."

Stiles looked at him like he was stupid, "_Where_ have you seen worse?"

I nodded to Isaac as he and Boyd flanked me, mostly to block me from seeing Piper behind us, but Isaac made sure to have his arm brushing against the back of my own, his arms crossed as he looked to Coach for instructions. _As annoyingly cute as it is, I gotta admit that it helps take the edge of the last few hours off. _

Coach spoke up, "Listen up. The meet's been pushed till tomorrow. This is the closest motel with the most vacancies and least amount of good judgment when it comes to accepting a bunch of degenerates like yourselves." He held out a hand to reveal it was full of keys. "You'll be pairing up. Choose wisely"

Everyone moved forward, each 'pair' grabbing keys, I snuck in with Boyd and Isaac, knowing that I really needed my mate with me tonight. _It's not like the you got any sleep the last few nights without him...I think the bus was the first time you got __any__ shut eye all week. _I jumped as Coach raised his voice again, leaning into Isaac, "And I'll have no sexual perversions perpetrated by you little deviants. Got that? Keep your dirty little hands to your dirty little selves!"

I rolled my eyes, "As if I would have sex in this dirty ass place…talk about a disease magnet."

Isaac chuckled, holding my hand as we went up the stairs to the room. We made it there without any incident, Isaac watching some random news channel in the armchair while I sat curled up in his lap. Boyd was walking around, getting antsy when he opened up the door, saying something about getting snacks. Unfortunately, he opened it just as coach was walking by. I fell of the chair, nearly flipping over myself as I leapt between the beds and out of sight.

Isaac was looking at Coach as he stood it the door, shaking his head. He closed his eyes, and shouted, "McGrath!" I poked my head up over the bed, with a guilty smile, "Get your scrawny little bond 00-seven wanna be ass over here."

"Yes, Coach." I mumbled, standing up and standing in front of him.

"What do you think you're _doing?_"

"Uh...watching TV with Isaac and Boyd?" I said innocently, wincing in the hope that he would let me off with a warning. No, instead he decided to check out my improvisation skills.

"Oh okay, do you have a roommate?" I nodded dumbly, "Fan-_tastic_, why don't you go watch some TV with _her." _

I held my hands out, gesturing in a very Stiles-like fashion. "Well you see, I would, it's just that she was getting kinda tired from the bus trip and I didn't want to-"

"You don't have a roommate do you." He raised an eyebrow at me, and I shook my head.

"No coach…" I said, dropping my hands in defeat._ We really need to work on this making things up under pressure thing…_

"Do I look stupid McGrath? Do I look like someone you thought you could easily trick?"

_100% sir. _I shook my head, "Absolutely not, Coach."

"Good, because now that you have proven that wrong. I get to pick who you're going to room with for the night." His smile dropped, snapping back into Coach mode, "No grab your bag and say goodbye to your boyfriend."

"Yes...Coach." _I really hate you right now, Coach. _

I stooped down to give Isaac a kiss on the cheek, promising to text him later. Then I followed Coach out of the room and down the stairs, chanting in my head as we made a few twists and turns. _Please don't be her, anybody but don't be her, anybody but her. Please don't be her, anybody but her. Please don't be her, anybody but-_

"You still with me there, McGrath?" I snapped my focus back to my coach as he looked at me like I was crazy. _Crap I totally did that thing where I spaced out and was mouthing my thoughts didn't I? "_You look like you were trying to set the door on fire." _Yup I was….oh joy. _

"Just telling myself to not insult your intelligence again, Coach, making sure I'm never stupid enough to try it again." He gave me an amused nod, but let it go. _Where was that before when you __actually_ _needed it? _

"Good...don't let it happen again." He stopped at the door, banging on it. It swung open, greeting me with exact voice I didn't want to hear.

"You know Coach, I'm kind of insulted that we've hardly been here twenty minutes and you're-" Piper stopped when she saw me. "What the hell is going on."

"McGrath here tried to room with Boyd and Lahey and you're the only room with a spare bed." Coach turned to me, gesturing toward the room, "Congratulations, you girls are roommates."

"You have gotta be kidding me." She muttered. "I'd rather sleep on the damn bus than with -"

"No way in _hell!"_I protested at the same time, "I think I'd rather sleep in the woods over there."

Coach blew his whistle as we tried to say even more, making us stop. "Both of you shut it! You're sharing the room and that's final! End. of. Discussion!" He smirked as we both looked down, mumbling out weak, 'yes coach's, "Glad we got that settled," he grinned walking away, "_Try_ not to kill each other."

"No promises," We both muttered, glaring at each other as we stood at the doorway.

_This is just __perfect._I stood there, not sure what to do, but seriously contemplating texting Isaac. _'Yea, if you don't hear from me at some point tonight, my body might be in the woods somewhere, and if not I'll be in room 109...with the girl who helped the alphas kill Derek after I had threatened to kill her...no big deal or anything...' that'll go amazingly with his already freaked out mood when you were sitting in his arms in a soundless shock the rest of the ride…_

I looked to the floor. _Fair enough...that still doesn't get me out of this mess though..._

"Listen. I'm just going to go." Piper started carefully, "You can have the room to yourself tonight."

"No. You got here first, I'll just go sleep in the bus...I wouldn't want to add any further insults or injuries…" _Is that you lame-ass attempt at an apology? Because it was really lame considering you __threatened to kill her!_

She rolled her eyes, slight amusement flickering in her gaze. "The bus that still smells like vomit?" She shook her head, "That is too worse a punishment."

I took a deep breath, _Well at least we're are talking on somewhat civil terms._"Fair point...vomit plush werewolf senses equals one hell of an upset stomach." I looked down at the door, and slowly looked up to meet her gaze, "So….Truce? Just so that Coach doesn't come and kill our asses. I mean I'm sure he's about ready to at least kill _me_ after what I just pulled."

"You know…" Sighing Piper just shrugged, "Sure. Truce for tonight." She said under her breath, "Because I'm sure as hell leaving in the morning."

I laughed humorlessly, "If only I were that lucky. Stiles had to-" I paused as she held a hand up.

"Stop." She took a breath, "Just stop." Wearily, she rubbed at her eyes, fatigue lining her features. "I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to -" She waved her hand in the air, not sure what she was trying to say."

"You don't want to act like just because we have a truce that everything is okay again…" I played with the strap of my bag, "I understand...I should have thought before I spoke…" _Yeah, maybe just start this conversation all over again, and we can interrogate her! No, is that just me? Okay...I'll keep it on the back burner in case you change your mind. _

"Yeah." Frowning, she looked at her bag on the bed with indecision. Clearing debating on whether or not it was just best to leave.

"So uh...can I come in or should I just go back into Isaac and Boyd's room? You could just text me when Coach shows up or something…" I said, trying to break the palpable tension only to shove my foot in my mouth again.

_The mention of Isaac and Boyd clearly wasn't a very good idea..._I winced as she got really restless.

"Shit...sorry. There I go running my mouth without thinking again…." I bit my lip, "I'll just go…" I turned, ready to just curl up in bed and cry until I could forget about this mortifying experience.

"Yeah." She motioned towards the door, her gaze chilly. "I think it would be best if you went back to _your pack_."

I bristled as her tonr went from icy to almost a demand, making me feel like I _had _to listen. "Right...I'll just-" I stopped, at her raised eyebrow and just started to walk. However, my luck decided it was really _not _on my side because Coach came out of the room a few doors over, his back to us. "Shit! Move, move, move!" I squeaked, pushing her into the doorway in my haste and pressing my back to the wall next to the door. "So uh...about me leaving? Might be a little harder than it seemed." I looked to see her glaring at me, clearly unamused, holding her arm with a slight wince. _I think you might have done a bad thing again…_

I slid down the wall and onto the floor, "You know at this rate I think it might be better if you just kill me." _Well isn't that a cheery thought...hope you finally told Isaac you loved him, she may take you up on this offer. _I rested my head in my hands, and pulled my knees up as I tried to make myself as small as possible.

She got this sad look on her face, her eyes burning bright with strong emotion. "I should have… I was supposed to." She looked at me intently for a second or two before laughing quietly, a laugh that was full of self-hated that was directed at herself more than me. "Except I started to care." Clearing her throat, she started towards the bathroom and slammed the door shut without saying another word.

* * *

I just sat there, trying to find a way to respond to what she said. _Does this mean she wasn't lying about going after Isaac? Was she supposed to kill me and then take my place in the pack? Damn...Ol' Duke the Demon was more twisted than I thought…_ Hesitantly, I took off my bag, slowly standing up. With slow, unsteady steps, I approached the door. _Are we sure we're ready to hear what she wanted to say?_ I sighed, biting my lip in thought. _I didn't listen to her now...I might as well do it now…_ I knocked on the door. When I was met by silence I laughed dryly.

"Come on, Piper, you can't be all cryptic like that and then just ditch." I choked on the words a little, thinking back to when I first told her that. _Oh how far we've come from that…_

Whatever her response was, it was muffled by the door between us.I laughed slighty, "Uh...I didn't catch that...can I-" I paused not still unsure of what this could all lead to. My wolf groaned, _Are you seriously, __that__ ready to trust her again? What if she's only tricking you._ I bit my lip, _Or maybe she's just needs to know that someone cares...that how Isaac was. Hell, that's how __I_ was.

"I'm coming in. Make sure you're decent or whatever."

I gave a final sigh, and twisted the knob, pushing into her small, barricaded world. _Wow, now we're doing pretty little metaphors...how...unsurprisingly __sappy__ of you._

The door was shoved back, reclosing. "Give me a sec." She whispered quietly. "I just need -" The words trailed off, "a few minutes." Her words were somewhat hoarse as if she was...

_In spite of everything, she is still too damn proud to let me see her cry._ I chuckled silently, moving away from the door, "Sure...take all the time you need."

I moved to the wall where my bag was, pulling out an exact copy of the shirt I was wearing. _Only I doubt this one is started to get stiff with a __really__ bloody shoulder. _I winced after pulling off the waist belt and pulling off the crusty shirt. Taking out a bottle of water and a facecloth, I cleaned up the wound, throwing away the makeshift bandage and replacing my shirt and belt. Sighing, I curled up against the pillows of the bed closest to me, trying to find the words to say, or the even the strength to say them.

The door opened slowly, Piper peeking out almost as if wishing I hadn't been there. Her face stiffened when she noticed I was sitting there. _Well what did you expect, you look like it's __you__ that spilled out a dirty little secret and went to hide away from her...probably doesn't give a girl much confidence. _

With a sigh she opened the door wider and stepped out, giving my bed wide berth as she dropped down onto her own bed with a heavy sigh. Rolling onto her stomach, she grabbed a pillow and snuggled with it before turning to face me fully. "So… what do you want to know?" It was a peace offering, a hesitant attempt to start a conversation that couldn't be avoided much longer.

I blew out a long breath, "Geeze uh…." I laughed nervously, "The hell if I know...uhm…" I played with my fingers for a few seconds before looking up at her with an uneasy expression, "Maybe let's start with whether or not you were at the school to kill me...since apparently you were supposed to." _Wow...You just cut right to it...real subtle there, Ace. _I cleared my throat, "Or uhm..we could start simple, like...Does Deaton know that you're…" I looked at her searchingly_. _"Well you know…" _Real smooth, can't even say Alpha...geeze are __you__ hopeless. _

"Yes. I was supposed to kill you from the start." She said bluntly, her expression one of complete resolve. _Okay I take the subtlety crack back..._"My alpha informed me that if I wanted to stay in his good graces that I was supposed to take out one of Derek's members while… winning over the other." She paused with a shrug, "Meaning I was supposed to win Isaac over. Flirt with him and then break him after I was done using him."

"But you all knew about the mating bond we had...Aiden _and _Ennis made that clear." _Yea when they used it against you. _I shook my head, "Derek said that a wolf can never move on when the bond is broken by death. How were you doing to win him over I died? " I said, forcing myself to not imagine the thought of him losing me in such a fashion, not even caring that that would do to me. Though my wolf, in her infinite wisdom, did make a comment. _It almost makes the idea of him going to Allison __better__...not that that'll ever happen of course, I'm just saying. Better he stray then be taken from you by a harsh fate like death. _

"I was never going to kill you Stephanie." She said tiredly, rubbing her face against the scratchy pillow material. "After I saved your mate, my part got shot to hell rather quickly."

I looked up from my knees, surprise undoubtedly crossing my features, "_Saved_ him? But he said the twins…" _killed her...and he would have remembered seeing Piper and not just the one girl. Well not until after that horrid ice bath. _I shivered slightly, "Piper…" I pauses when she looked up at me, almost begging me ask, but also terrified to answer. "Are you the one who removed his memories? Who made him forget about…" I sighed, "Well everything from when you guys had him."

She looked like she was about to lie but then her shoulders slumped and she nodded slowly. "Stephanie you have to understand something." She licked her lips nervously. "By saving Isaac I had directly disobeyed my Alpha." She paused. "I knew it wasn't right and I had to get him out of there but if everyone else knew…" She stressed, "If Deucalion knew that I was the one to get him out." She shrugged...

"He would have killed you…" _It costs more than just a pack to be part of a group of Alphas…I don't think I could even call it a __pack__ anymore._

"Yes." It was said with simplicity like she had already accepted her fate.

"And you still did it. For a complete stranger you could have otherwise tricked…" I laughed humorlessly, "Piper Blakewood you've got the courage of a lion...maybe you should switch." I shook my head, "I don't think I would ever be able to do that…" _As if you would kill a total stranger. _

_If they had something over me? If they were offering me family? I don't know..._

"I had nothing to lose." She had this distant look in her eyes as she added, "There was nothing that was stopping me, no one worried about what would happen if I disobeyed."

"Then why be with them? Why seek a group that didn't care if you made the cut or not? We would have let you in without all of that red tape. _Derek_ would have-" I stopped, looking down as a wave of emotion washed over me. _That was the first time I actually said something nice about him and now he's gone… I just wish he would have known that I respected him and looked up to him...but now it's too late._

"You don't know my past. You don't know how I got to be an Alpha in the first place." She said with mounting frustration. "Deucalion showed up when I needed him the most. He _was _my savior at one point as hard as that is to believe." She gave a quirky humorless smile. "Of course I never knew how much retribution destroyed a person and yet I was willing to pay the cost until your friends and then the pup were captured." She rolled her eyes, "They seemed to remind me I had a little bit of humanity left after all." And then under her breath, "unfortunately."

I sat there, not sure how to react to what I was hearing. I started carefully, trying to be objective, "You're right...I don't know your past. But I like to think I've gotten to know you. And I know that whatever it was that you did? You had a _pretty damn good_ reason for it." _So much for being objective...Sorry if I actually have faith in the world. In humanity. _My wolf sighed, _You're still just a pup...you haven't seen the ultimate cruelty humanity __is__. _

"You've gotten to know me?" She started laughing, "That's priceless considering you want to kill me." She chuckled some more, "I guess what you got to know of me you didn't like." She rolled her shoulders as if to ease the tension, "Of course I don't blame you so it's okay."

"Piper I was hurt! I finally opened myself to another female for the first time in my life only to be betrayed again. I couldn't take the humiliation that no matter how hard I tried? I'm not good enough for anyone save for Stiles and Isaac and I question it every single day of my life." I sighed, my wolf and I equally shocked I'd let that out. "I'm just tired of being hurt by the people I care about." _Like my mother. My sister. My father. Derek…_"And you were among the top of that list."

"Stephanie." She growled in warning. "Don't ever think you are good enough. If anyone should believe that aren't worth it…" Her words trailed off with a snort. "Stop questioning it because its pointless. You know deep down you deserve the best…" She whispered then, "and I'm sorry I hurt you but I had no other choice."

I paused, looking at my hands, "I don't know about me _deserving_ anything, I've got more blood on my hands than you know…"I laughed, "Hell, I have these creepy ass bad boys for a reason." I flashed my eyes with a small smile, "But I do know that there is always. _Always_ a choice."

She looked unimpressed by the electric blue of my wolf eyes, "I don't see any blood now." Her gaze flickered to my hands before meeting my eyes again, "And your eyes are a unique shade of blue… pfft. My bad boys are red." She smirked, "So top that…" She smiled then, an honest to God genuine smile, "Regardless of our _choices…_ I think you turned out just fine… well besides your choice in a mate but I won't argue with you about that right now." _Does this mean I'm forgiven? Does this mean you're…._

I scoffed lightly, "Always with the zinger on my taste in guys…" I shook my head, adding "And making everything into a competition…Blakewood, you are something else, you know that?"

"Honey. I am a hot mess." She winked before executing a little bow of pride. "I definitely know I'm something else."

I laughed, opening my mouth to say something when something started making noises like a baby monitor. I started to panic when I started to hear crying. My smile slipped, and I unfolded from my position on the bed. Standing up, I looked around to see where the sound was coming from. I moved to the closet, opening it, and moving around the miscellaneous items there. Finding nothing, I moved to the bathroom, all the while Piper looking at me like she was afraid I had finally snapped or something.

"Steph, what's-"

"Don't you hear that?" I spun around _That cry….that sound….it can't be...that's impossible_

"Steph I don't hear anything…" _No, it's him...he's crying, what do I do?_

"NO! It has to be...I can hear him crying…" I turned suddenly, "Was the radio on before?"

"What are you talking about?" She said, trying to see what I was, "Stephanie, talk to me!"

I ignored her, listening as the radio spoke,

"_Shhh...it's okay joshy...it's okay…" _

"_Ugh, it's no use! Make him shut __up__." _

"_But mom said for you to watch him Melanie! Mom says I can't play with Joshy." _

"_I'm not telling you to __play__ with him, I'm telling you to make him __stop__making__noise__." _

The wailing got louder and louder, making me cover my ears with my hands. _No. No. NO! This isn't happening this isn't…_I rushed over and pulled it from the wall, throwing it on the armchair. Piper was thoroughly freaked out, but I was too messed up too really know what to do. I stood there staring at it as it turned back on.

"_Mel let go...Mel Stop! What are you doing?!" _

"_I'm__ not doing anything. __You__ are helping him to be quiet isn't that right Joshy?" The wailing was muffled now, getting quieter and quieter as_ I tried to break the small machine. Even when I threw it against the wall, it still went on as I relived the first of the two worst memories of my life.

"_Josh...Joshy?! Mel what's wrong? Why isn't he moving? JOSHUA!"_

"NO!" I screamed running out of the room and following the halls to god knows where. _I didn't do it...it wasn't my fault please mommy please don't hurt me. I'm sorry! _

I stopped only when I heard the only voice that could still manage to chill my blood whenever I heard it.

"_Where to you think you're going, young lady? Get back here right this instant." _

"Where to you think you're going? Get over here right now." I mumbled feverishly, stumbling through the double doors of the kitchen.

_Suddenly I was back home, my mother towering over me. I was rubbing my eyes, trying not to show her my tears. __**Mother doesn't like tears. Tears aren't for bad children...Tears are only for those that are good enough.**__ She looked down at me, her eyes cold and her lip turned into a scowl. _

"_He's gone. GONE Stephanie Anne! You're father left because you weren't __good__enough__ for him. Because of what you did to Joshua. He just couldn't stand the fact that you __killed__ your little brother!" She pushed me into the counter, her face read with rage. "They all left because of __you!__ Your father, your brother. Every Man or boy who would ever care for you left you behind." She gripped into my arm, making me cry out in pain. _

"_Mommy please stop! You're hurting me!" _

"All of them left because you're not good enough! They'll _all l_eave because you're_ not good enough!" _I panted, searching through the drawers and looking for something, anything in order to deliver the punishment I deserved.

"_All of them! All of them left you, and they'll always leave you!" _

"_I'm sorry, I'll be better, Mom, I promise!" _

"I'm so sorry...so, so sorry...I didn't mean for Daddy to leave...I didn't mean for Joshy to go…." I sobbed, finding what I was looking for.

"_You ruined everything, __everything__! My husband, my son! You even go so far as to be a copy of your sister! You say you'll be better, but I don't think so. You can't be __better__ if you're __nothing." _

"You're nothing. Not a daughter, not a sister! You can't even find friends! How are you supposed to be better when you _have _and _are_ nothing?!"

"_Why are you doing this to my Mommy? Why do you have that? Why are you holding that?" _

"_Because you've been a bad little nobody…" Her grin grew sinister as she held the shining tool in her hand, "And you need to be punished." _

The knife glittered in the dark light as I held it over my stomach"It's time for you to learn what happens when you're a bad girl."

"_When you're a bad girl, you get punished...and you have been a very __very_ _Bad girl Stephanie." _

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, allowing the tears to fall freely now, "So sorry."

And then I pulled the knife down.

* * *

"Steph! NO!" Isaac's voice called out to me, but it was disant, "Stop this! It's just the motel! You don't need to do this!"

"Punished...punished...you need to be punished." I babbled weakly as Isaac pulled on my hands, trying to force the knife away. _Why are you fighting this? It'll be better this way...I'm nobody….No one will miss a nobody...I"m nothing…_

"Piper we need something hot, like a heater or something!" His voice was getting fainter, my mothers taking hold again, calling me nothing, telling me I needed to be punished.

"I can do one better!"

I screamed as red hot pain laced it's way through the knife handle, making me drop it with a gasp. I was sitting in the kitchen of the motel, Isaac panting over me with sobs of relief while Piper waved a small plastic object with the same expression on her face.

"What's going on? What happened?" I looked down at the still scalding burns on my hand, the small slashes in my shirt, and the knife in my lap. "What the hell is that doing there?! And Piper, what are you doing with a lighter?!"

I was panting, feeling a panic attack setting in. Isaac, who was still looking at me with this look that was flashing between concern, shock, and betray. _Well that's an interesting combination. _Before I could say anything else, or Piper could answer my question, he pulled me into him squeezing me like he couldn't believe I was still there. Even as I didn't know what happened, just his embrace and the feeling of him _there_ made the attack stop, but panic stayed.

"You have no idea how terrified I was! Don't you even _think_ about doing that ever again! I thought I was going to lose you..." He pulled away, cupping my face before giving me a few short, but very hard kisses. "You hear me, Steph?" Another kiss. "Never again!"

I looked at him, noticing how we were both freaked out and sweaty, our pupils dilated. _What the hell is going on? _

"Nev-never do what, exactly?" I asked weakly. "I don't even know how I got here...the last thing I remembered was hearing-" I paused. "My family...I saw-" I looked to the knife, "And I-"

Piper rolled her eyes, though she was very tense, her body reeking of concern, "You threw the radio across the room and started raving about a 'Joshua'. When I went looking for you, I bumped into the pup and Boyd here," I looked up, not even realizing that Boyd was there, "They said something about how we were all being forced to commit suicide, and then we heard you screaming and talking to yourself, and found you here trying to do just that." She sighed, making me feel an immense guilt, "You scared the hell out of us for a minute, there Kid...all of us."

'I didn't even know I was doing it…"

"It's okay," Isaac said into my hair s he hugged me again, "None of us did until we were snapped out of it."

I j sat there, unable to react to anything as Isaac cradled me in his arms. After a few minutes, had Boyd help me up, and he guided me by my arms, moving us out of the dank and dungeon like room. Upon reaching the door, Boyd left saying he was going to check on the others, but we all just stood there until Piper said almost absently, "Isaac, take care of Stephanie," before leaving the room and I fell limp, my world blackening.

I jerked upright from the bed, Isaac standing up to fuss over me, "How long was I out?"

"Only for a few minutes...I think you only fainted." His eyes searched mine. "Why?"

"Did you sent Boyd to look after Piper?" He shook his head, "Why not?!"

"He was helping the others, and I was a little preoccupied with-" I got up, pulling on a sweater from my bag, "Where are you going."

"Piper is the only one of us who hasn't freaked out yet." I opened the door, "Now you can sit here and stew in your anger towards her, or you can help me look for her so that she doesn't kill herself"

"Steph," I looked back at him, "Not to sound like the bad guy or anything, but would that really be such a bad thing?"

I stood there, a flash of rage towards my mate melting with the taste of her panic urging me. "Well, then not to sound like a bitch or anything, but is that the best way to thank the girl who saved your ass?" And with that I left, running off to help my friend.

* * *

_And there we have it! The first half of my interpretation of Motel California! It was such a roller coaster for me and raven to write, but I think it's amazing and I'm super proud of it! Stay tuned for part two and, as always, please please __**please**__ let me know what you think! _

_Thanks for reading!_

_~Gwen _


	10. Suicide Motel and Wolfsbane Forgiveness2

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_The meet's been pushed till tomorrow. This is the closest motel with the most vacancies and least amount of good judgment when it comes to accepting a bunch of degenerates like yourselves. You'll be pairing up."_

_Yea let's just stick me with the girl who helped the alphas kill Derek after I had threatened to kill her...no big deal or anything…_

"_Yes. I was supposed to kill you from the start, but after I saved your mate, my part got shot to hell rather quickly."_

"_What the __**hell **__is going on? What am I doing here?" "Well apparently something in the hotel is making all the wolves try to commit suicide. Low and behold, we find you to screaming, trying to do just that."_

"_Piper is the only one of us who hasn't freaked out yet! Now you can sit here and stew in your anger towards her, or you can help me look for her so that she doesn't kill herself" _

" _Whatever it was that you did in your past? You had a__** pretty damn good **__reason for it."_

* * *

_Chapter 10: Suicide Motel and Wolfsbane Forgiveness (cont.)_

"Steph...Steph, wait!" I stopped after reaching the bottom of the stairs, keeping an eye out for any sign of her. _Calm down...you're not going to be of help to her if you're panicking and freaked out too._

I sighed, looking to Isaac expectantly as he made the rest of the way down the steps, "What is it? Are you going to go through a pro and con list on saving Piper? I know it sounds crazy, but she's not who we think she is! She's more like the girl she showed us than you think! She's just being forced to-"

"I know." I stopped mid rant, looking at him confused.

"You know?" He nodded, "How?"

"I could tell when we found you...She was pretty out of it, Steph." He looked at me with a sad look in his eyes. "From what Boyd tells me she was almost as bad as I was. You're right, if she _was_ just a spy for the alphas and didn't care, why would she have helped us to save you? Or have helped that other girl to save me, as it were…"

"Because she _does_ care...it's just that she doesn't know what to do after that…" I ran a hand through my hand, "Something tells me it has something to do with-" I felt a flash of panic and fear run through me and a shout fill the air. "Oh no…" I turned to Isaac, "Did you-?"

"Yea, and I know where it's coming from, come on!" He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the woods, both of us shouting her name as we looked for her. The woods thickened with the rising loss and pain that Piper was feeling, making me wonder what memory she was being forced to watch and what guilts she carried to make her want to kill herself. I stopped at a group of thicket, grabbing Isaac's arm. He looked to me confused, but I shook my head and pointed to my ear. _Listen..._

"Daddy." came out a soft sob. "Please don't be dead. Don't leave me." I winced, hating that my suspicions about her home life were right as I pulled some of the brush back. Piper was crouched there, were hands wrapped around an unseen pendant, the chain being the one she would hide underneath her clothes. _It has be to the only things she has left from-_

"I'm sorry mom, but I kept it safe." She muttered, tears falling down her cheeks.

Isaac went to grab her, his own face contorted in concern, but suddenly she screamed, jumping out of the brush and ripping at her shirt, the smell of blood thickening the already unbreathable air as she bend down.

"JANIE!"

The childish name sounded so out of place coming from her lips. I motioned to her purse,

"The lighter! Find the lighter!" I hissed, kneeling down next to her as she spoke again, yanking at my heartstrings as she fell apart.

"It was all my fault." She cried, practically shaking with emotion now. "It should have been me. I should have died not her."

"Piper, this isn't real!" I said, trying to shake her out of it. _Don't you do this to me damn it! We can't make up only to have you save me from something you were going to do anyway! You can't! _"I know it hurts, Pipes, but you need to snap out of it! No matter how real it feels it's just a memory!"

She looked down, clearly seeing the memory just like I had, letting out a hoarse whisper.

"I'm sorry."

My panic rose as I watched her claws lengthen and my time to help her run out. "Isaac!"

"I almost got it…."

"Isaac we need it _now!" _

"Just a-"

"If you don't get it now she's going to die!" I sobbed, trying to pull at her hand as she pulled it to her chest, placing it right above her heart. _Well damn….she really does feel awful about this. _I groaned with the pain and exertion as the claws dug slightly into the skin, small, dark beads of blood appearing under them as she ripped her tank top, down to her belly button.

"You are _not_ dying today, Piper Blackwood! I won't let it happen!" I sobbed, "I just got you back, don't make me lose you gain…." I felt the tears fall, melding with hers as I pulled at her hand.

"I'm so sorry." She looked to towards me, but I knew it wasn't me she was apologizing to as she continued to say those three heartbreaking words. "I'm so sorry…"

"I got it!" Isaac said, thundering over with the small plastic item." I turned taking it from him as she stopped her tragic panting, her eyes closing as her claws moved inward, "It'll be over soon."

"Damn right it will, but you're not going to like it!" And I flicked the flame into her hand, watching as her eyes focuses and she jumped away in pain.

I fell forward in relief as her chest healed, the five small cuts healing themselves and the only blood left over was the spots on her now human nails. _We did it….you did it steph! You saved her._ I moved forward as she looked at her hand and then to us, anger evident in her face._ Well we all react differently I guess._

"What the hell are you doing?!" She looked at Isaac with the typical disdain they shared. "I'm going to-"

"Stop right there and figure out where you are." I snapped, tired of them being at each other's throats all the time, but also glad we had saved her for it to be possible. _Well ain't that a complicated sentiment._ She started to gasp, realizing that were weren't in the motel anymore and now surrounded by trees.

She looked at me, her eyes wide, "I went crazy and tried to off myself...didn't I?"

I nodded, my eyes filling up again, "But we were able to stop you...only just barely…"

Isaac nodded, "You might want to learn how to organize your purse."

She laughed, shakily, "There's a method to a girls purse that only they can understand." She raised an eyebrow at him, "A simple minded boy like you wouldn't understand."

I chuckled, "Well at least we know you're you again."

"Was there someone else you were expecting?" She shot back, a hint of that regret and sorrow in her voice. Surprisingly, Isaac spoke before I could.

"We wouldn't want anyone else right now." He smiled, slightly, "It's good to have you back."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Is she withholding sex until we make up? Because I gotta tell you, I will drag this out if that's the case."

I flushed groaning in embarrassment, "_Really_ Pipes? The guys helps save your life, and then is _Civil_ for once and that's how you respond?"

She shrug paired with a grin that made me more than a little happy and relieved that she was okay. _That we're __all__ Okay...hopefully…._ Accepting my hand, I was surprised when the emotionally distant girl pulled me into a tight hug. _Maybe it's just the shock of her almost killing herself..._Both my wolf and I then were at a complete loss when she spoke up, saying something that still surprises me.

"I'm glad I met you." She pulled back, giving me another shaky smile, while I, once again, questioned the sentiment. _Don't question it! People care about you...none of them are your mother and she was wrong..._"I don't know what I would do without you."

I opened my eyes a little wider about to say something about our night being a little too mushy, _Definitely, but something tells me that when it comes to you, no one is surprised, _but Isaac's phone buzzed and we both turned to look at him. The moment, those lost, still made me feel like things weren't so horrible. That is until Piper, annoyed with her own apprehensiveness, spoke up and I realized that we hadn't seen the rest of the pack members, both honorary and official.

"Did something…" I felt my own worry flare with hers, "did someone get hurt?" _Scott, Lydia? What about Allison? _My eyes widened as my thoughts moved to the only person I _hadn't_ seen since we got on the bus that would destroy me if I lost them. _Oh my god, what about-_ "Is Stiles okay?" Piper leaned on me, her weight being supported more by me as the thought dragged on both of us. Isaac watched us with concern as I caught Piper, but sank to the floor with her. _Please be okay, Little Red…..for both of us._

* * *

Isaac had Piper on his back, like she was a sort of human backpack- _More like a wolfpack...haha get it? Right….sorry serious moment here-_ as I burst into the parking lot, Piper's bag thumping against my waist while the heels of her shoes occasionally stabbed into me with my hand's moving at my side. I had thrown my sweater around Piper in an attempt to cover her up, since her tank top was now a glorified piece of shredded fabric and I had also attempted to fix her hair by tossing it into a quick french braid, not caring about how she was going to complain that it wasn't sexy enough for her. As I turned to look back at them, I couldn't hold back the snicker at his sour expression. _I can't believe we're able to smile after all that's happened tonight._

"You alright, babe?" _You are enjoying this way tooo much...I'm so glad you snuck a picture when he wasn't looking. _

He glared at me as if trying to figure out how he was going to kill me. _Most likely in your sleep, he __knows__ he could never resist your puppy eyes. They've gotten __waaay__ better than his. _"Tell me again why _I'm _the one carrying your best friend-turned enemy -turned bestie?"

"I could have walked…" Piper protested, her head not lifting from its place on his back belittling her words. "I don't see why I couldn't have just -"

"First off, _you_" I pointed to Piper, "Have been passed out most of the trip back, so don't even bother. Secondly, Isaac really honey, this is what the strong boyfriend does, so unless you want to prove to Piper how much of a pup you are…" I smirked, "Which by the way, she didn't call you earlier and I was super proud of. So nut up and shut up." I said, looking way more amused than I should have been. "Now let's go find everyone and makes sure they're oh-"

Piper snickered, "Oh damn. The pup has been put into his place."

Isaac looked at her with a wry smile, "As I recall, cut you down to size too, Alpha the spy."

Growling, she smacked his shoulder before moving to wrap her arms tighter around his neck like in a chokehold. "Shut it pup. I'm not that weak that I couldn't kick your ass if I wanted to."

"Was it…." He choked slightly, his eyes widening, "Something I said?"

"Yes, now Piper, let him go. And Isaac, let her go...if she can put you in a chokehold for making a joke _waaay _too soon, she can walk." They complied and then separated like oil and water.

Piper's nose wrinkled as she shook herself in revulsion eyeing Isaac with a wary expression. "Ick." She sniffed huffily. "I smell like him now. I need a shower.. or hell even a puddle to roll in."

"I think he smells just fine," I said, walking back over to give him a short kiss on the cheek. "But anyway...let's get serious now."

"_You're _the one who's been joking the _whole_ time Ms. defense mechanism comedian." Piper smirked, while blanching at our PDA.

"Ouch…" I muttered, T_hey just don't understand our comic genius, I thought we were hilarious. _"So uh...where did Boyd say they were?"

"Real smooth there, Puffin." Isaac snorted, rather unattractively, _Wow...I never thought I'd see the day where you thought that about him...I'm impressed. _"But he said he hadn't found any-"

We all jumped back as a large flame erupted on the other side of the parking lot. I felt Piper's shoes drop from my hands as I sprinted, towards it, hoping against hope it wasn't what I thought. Annoyed with it constantly hitting my side, I tossed her purse too. _Please don't let anyone be dead, Please, let everyone be okay, please be safe...please._ I was vaguely aware of Piper and Isaac following me but was too focused on getting _to_ the flames to really care. When I reached it, I saw a large fireball standing on the pavement, with Scott being held down by Stiles and Lydia. Allison was working to get them all up, but Lydia was staring in shock at the flames. Even as I reached her, she looked into them, pale as a sheet. _Not a-_

"Lydia, you look like you saw a ghost...is everything okay?" _ah… that's why. _

She turned to me, a wave of relief falling over her features as she threw herself at me, her thin arms wrapping around my neck. _Well apparently its 'everyone hug Steph even if she doesn't like to be touched' day and nobody told me…_ I hesitantly hugged her back, patting her back awkwardly while Piper helped Stiles up and Isaac helped Allison with Scott. The redhead pulled away, tears in her eyes. _Oh god..it's 'everyone cry on Stephanie' day too?! I don't think I can handle much more of this...it's been a __really__ long night._

"Lyds...are you-" _okay? Sane? Going crazy? Well that's the same thing, but whatever. _

"I'm fine...really." She said, smiling at me stupidly, _I doubt that Lydia Martin does __anything__ stupidly...well aside from finding a guy...she kinda likes to pick assholes…_ "'I'm just glad you're okay." _Well...now I feel like a bitch. _"When you weren't with Isaac and Boyd, and they said they hadn't heard from you I thought that…" She bit her lip nervously. _I don't think I like a nervous Lydia...she's supposed to be our confident and charismatic go to girl…_

"You thought it was too late." I looked at her with a newfound appreciation. _Well what do you know...Lydia Martin was worried about my life...and here I thought she was only being nice to me for Scott and Stiles' sakes…_

"Yea…" She whispered, both of us looking to the fire as Isaac put out the flames with an extinguisher he'd found and Piper swatted at the leftover fire with my sweater. "It's that the sweater I got you for your birthday?"

I sucked in a breath and winced, "Yes...yes it is…" _And she knows that too…._

"Oops.." Piper said with fake innocence, "This was the sweater she gave you?" She paused looking at the burnt remains of the once turquoise sweater. "Well that is unfortunate…" She coughed, offering somewhat apologetic, "It was a cute sweater." I swore she mumbled under her breath, "for a ten year old."

Lydia pointed to her, looking at me with a huff. "Is she for real?"

"Just let it go," I whispered, "She's still getting used to _sharing_."

"Stephanie." Piper growled. "I heard that."

I looked to Lydia, with a slight squeak, "I'm totally in the doghouse for that one…"

"Yes you are." She paused with a frown, "Wait! Where are my shoes…"

"Oh, you mean your heels that look like they're Lydia's little sisters?" I pointed behind me, "I kinda dropped them when I thought our friends were dying…" _Saying my sweater was for a ten year old...serves you right…._

Lydia rolled her eyes, "Really girls? How old are we? Five?"

I cocked my head to the side, "I was thinking more like six and a half…"

"Smartass." Piper laughed outright, stepping away from Stiles. "I like to think I have reached the proud age of 7…"

"Well you're constant need for competition would help you prove that." Stiles spoke up. "Especially when we all know you said seven to beat her by half a year."

Allison and Scott shook their heads like embarrassed parents while Isaac rolled his eyes, "I think I liked it better when the three of them didn't know each other…"

"Oh good…" Piper chimed sweetly, "So I can just go and…"

"And why would you be leaving now?" We all turned as Boyd stood at the foot of the stairs. He had this amused look on his face as if he had been watching us the whole time. _wouldn't surprise me...it's the silent one's you gotta worry about._

"Erm… to get my shoes?" She flushed a little and looked down at her bare feet. It was kinda cute.

"You mean these?" We all stared at him with open mouths as he produced her heels, a smug look on his face. "I kinda saw Steph drop them, and while y'all were having your little 'I'm glad you're not dead' party, I went and grabbed them." He shrugged, making us all see that he had everyone's bags. "Well after getting everyone's stuff."

Isaac chuckled, shaking his head, "Dude...you are such a wierdo…"

"I don't know…" Piper said thoughtfully as she approached him. "I kind of like him." She grinned as she took her heels from his hands, "When he is not trying to kill me that is." Then using his arm for balance put on her heels with a sigh of satisfaction.

I stood up, helping Lydia before moving over to a very obviously annoyed Stilinski. I watched as Stiles went from red to blue and then to a pretty shade of fuchsia. _Do boys even __come__ in fuschia._ Before muttering, "First Jared...and now even Boyd gets her attention before me...girls...I'll never get them…"

I clasped his shoulder companiably, _God am I glad you're okay..._"Man first she gets worried about you...and now I get to see you getting jealous of Boyd...unseeing people...I'll never get them." Stiles glared at me, as I grinned, making my way to Scott and Allison. "So what do we do now, captains?"

They looked at me strangely as the rest of the group joked around, Isaac even going over to help Boyd who was currently having a quiet conversation with Piper. I rolled my eyes at the two. _They really are like the parents of the group…_

"Well you too seem to be the only ones who haven't cracked under the pressures of tonight, so what should we do?"

Allison smiled wanly, turning to the building. "I don't know about the rest of the group, but there is no way I'm going back into that motel."

Scott scoffed lightly, "Definitely not…"

"Then where do we go?" _ I mean our options are limited. _

Scott and Allison looked next to us, and I shrugged, "Sure. Why not? It wouldn't be the strangest thing I've done tonight...or even the worst of that matter."

* * *

"I can't believe the the first time we actually get to share a bed in week is going to be on a _bus_." Isaac mused, turning in the seat so that I could lean into him. We were in the back of the bus, with Boyd and Steph across from us, each to their own seat while the others were were near the front.

Nestling between his legs, I laughed, "Once we can figure out how anyway."

He pulled me into his chest, sighing contently, "At this point, I don't even care if I'm comfortable or not…"

"Well good...because I doubt either of us will be." I muttered, trying to work up the courage to say what I needed to. After a few moments of semicomfortable silence I finally gave up and stood up, "Okay, this isn't going to work."

"What are you-" He started, but I spoke right over him, not ready to stop.

"I almost made you watch me kill myself and we're sitting here acting like nothing happened." I said, lowering my voice since most of the group was asleep. _Namely the two human females and boyd...maybe Scott...I can't tell. _"And I can't do that to you again...I can't risk hurting you like that again."

"Steph-" He warned, but I pushed on.

"We need to break up." I looked to the front of the bus so that I didn't see his face. "I just don't want to be the reason you get hurt again. Ever again…" I sat down, still not looking at him, my hands suddenly very interesting."And if we stay together, everything bad that happens to me will -"

"No." I turned, looking at him with wide eyes. "No, I don't believe you."

"What do you mean? Do you seriously think that I would lie about this?" _Has he really gotten that good at reading me? _

"No, but I do think you're lying about the reasons." _Yes...yes he has…_

I crossed my arms defiantly, "Well I'm not, so you'll just have to deal with it." _Wow...you really ar year old…_

"Not unless you can say you don't care about me anymore." I winced, _damn he really can read you like an open book…_

"Isaac…"

"Seriously, you tell me you don't care and I'll drop it, let you think you're protecting me when really you're too damn scared to admit that you are running away from hurting yourself."

"You know what, fine? You want me to say that I don't care about you? That I don't spend every waking minute I'm separated from you wondering if you're okay, or if you're thinking about me? That every time I'm lost or in trouble that I don't wish you could sweep in and save me?" I shook my head, turning toward him, "Or do you want me to tell you that that I don't question how a guy like you would even _think_ about mating with, let alone dating, someone like me, or even that I don't wonder if you are going to drop me the minute someone worthy of you walks along?"

I blinked, my eyes filling with tears, "Well I can't. Because I _do_ care, Isaac. In fact, I care _too much._ And it scares the hell out of me that you have become my world, my life." I sighed, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill down my eyes. "So yes...I am doing this to protect myself. Because I don't want to have to lose you unless it's on my own terms…" _Wow...we are just spilling our guts to everyone today, aren't we…._"Because I don't want to lose everything good about myself. Because Isaac, everything that is good about me, is you." I sighed, looking away, "And I don't want to ever-"

I was stopped by Isaac's lips covering mine. My body reacted instantly as I wrapped my hands around his neck, playing with his hair as he leaned back, pulling me with him. Breaking away, he smiled, knowing he won. _Uh….no shit, you finally told him you loved him...aggravatingly enough without actually __saying__ it, but hey, baby steps. _I blushed, as he continued to stare at me, my legs curling up as I turned onto my side, but not off of him.

"Stop looking at me like that and say something…." I muttered, _tell me I'm stupid tell me I'm nothing...this is all so unfamiliar, just give me something I'll understand. Cuz, honey, nothing about us has made a lick o' sense since we started to get to know each other. _

"I love you." _See there it is. Three simple words that-wait what now?_

"You what?" I looked up at him, searching his eyes to find some spark of humor, for some sign that he wasn't serious.

"I, Isaac Lahey, love you, Stephanie McGrath." He rested his forehead against mine, "And no amount of innumerable insecurities, night terrors, or crazy motels that try to make us kill ourselves can change that." He took the hand that had come to rest on his chest into his own, interlocking our fingers.

"You deserve better." I mumbled, not meeting his gaze. _I'm damaged goods...you can do so much better. You __deserve__ so much better. _

He sighed, shaking his head, "And you need to stop being so hard on yourself." _Yea well, can't do what you don't know...So I stick with what I was taught._

"Isaac, that's all I've ever been, and all that I can be…" _Careful, you might want to think before we speak anymore. _"You heard some of the things I said during that trance..." _Or not, that's fine too."_Those were the mantras I was brought up with. That were literally beaten and cut into me. We all have our crosses to bear." I bit my lip, "You were locked away in freezer every time your dad saw fit. My mother raised me to think I was nothing, therefore deserved nothing and that everyone I would care about would leave me eventually, so why bother letting anyone in." _Which is something I've been doing all too much of lately…_"Soon thinking turned into believing and well...once you believe you're worthless…" _There's no going back._

"Yea well, she was wrong." I rolled my eyes, looking away so that I didn't cry. _It's been an emotional enough night as it is. And I was planning on telling you about Joshua too, but that might be for another night. _

"Tell that to Derek...he's dead because of me." _Damn, girl_ _I thought we were passed this…_

"Steph...it wasn't your fault, what can I say to make you see that."

"Isaac-" I started.

"No, look at me, and let me finish." He tilted my face up to his, "You are the strongest, bravest, and most caring person I know. You throw yourself in front of everyone else because you don't care if you get hurt in the place of someone else. It scares me to death, but it's one of the things I love about you. Just like how you don't let your past get in the way of how you treat others. You aren't even close to the monster your mother is. Instead, you work hard to help everyone. Hell, I _know _that you sent Piper with Jared for his benefit as much as you thought it would punish her. You even lied and said you were okay so that Stiles wouldn't feel guilty about leaving Scott alone to help you. You even went and told your sister about Matt's death despite how much she helped to torture you and add to that rift in your life." He sighed, and I wasn't sure what to do or say. Instead he continued. _Wow you're quiet and less chatty man has a lot to say tonight…_

"You think you are nothing, but what you don't seem to understand is that to me you are _everything._ You are the reason I get up in the morning, the reason I live and breath. Hell, you were the reason I went to Derek to take the Bite." _Wait what._ "Also the reason I say things without thinking about them first…" He paused, a small flush covering his cheeks, apparently not quiet ready to have shared that Jem of knowledge. _That's the Isaac I know and-love?- shut up._ _Though I do need to make a note to ask him about that later..."_Steph, you are my world and more. So stop thinking you're nothing, and be some_one_ because you are a beautiful person and you deserve all that I can give and more."

He let out deep breath, looking at me expectantly. _Well then...how do I react to that speech that was wedding vow worthy? Oh god, I'm only 17! Right...I __am__ a dog, you know we age differently!_

"Do you...really mean all of that?" _Why else would he say that you dope? _

He smiled, laughing lightly, "Every word and everything between….I told you...I'm no good at writing."

I laughed, teary eyed, "I would say that is a severe understatement."

And with that I kissed him, saying everything I couldn't, and hoping he would understand. When we broke apart, I smiled, snuggling into him, "You know, you're not so bad yourself."

He laughed, making me move with him. Just as we started to fall asleep, he pulled me closer. "I missed this…"

"I missed you." I said, holding him tight. _Please don't leave me…_

"I'm not going anywhere Steph...I promise."

I smiled, thinking to something we'd done over the summer before he'd go on a searching trip. "Together?"

He smirked, kissing my temple, "Forever."

_God do I love you…_

And as terrified as I was by that thought, I fell asleep feeling completely and irrevocably safe in his arms.

* * *

Coach's voice woke me up causing me to move upwards stiffly only to see him standing at the front. He was shaking his head as the other students looked around him, "I don't want to know. I really don't want to know, but in case you missed the announcement, the meet's cancelled, so we're heading home. Pack it in. Pack it in!"

I slipped back down with a sigh, ignoring the sounds of the other students coming around and trying to go back to sleep. However, unlike Isaac, I was too light a sleeper and had to settle with drawing random shapes on his chest. _Maybe I could talk Mr. Stilinski into letting him sleep over the next few days...or Melissa would let me stay with them…._

"How is that even _remotely _comfortable?" I tore my gaze from Isaac's peaceful gaze. _I wish he was like that when he was awake._

Danny was looking at me with look of mild curiosity mixed and complete and utter confusion. I shifted into my hip, wincing as Isaac groaned slightly in pain, shifting under me to try and alleviate the discomfort. I laughed softly looking at the teen.

"Well to be honest it isn't, but it's the first time I've slept in weeks." I looked down at him, "We haven't been able to see each other as often and usually-" _ shared a room and lived like a married couple?_-" We would take turns sleeping at each other's houses."

Danny nodded in understanding before looking towards the front of the bus, "Well I see that the _clueless _couple made up…."

I giggled, _even Danny sees it, wait...they did?_ I moved upright and looked up to see Piper sitting with Stiles, leaning on him slightly. "Yeah, well...we all had a rough night...got all mushy and gooey and heart to hearty…it was-" I paused _annoying and heart wrenching all at once?"_It was good to get over such a stupid argument."

Danny chuckled, "Considering that I've been worried sick thinking I tried to stop the wrong fight, I'd say it was more than a jus some stupid argument. But-" He looked to Piper with a look of genuine relief and a smile across his features. "I'm glad you guys made up. I doubt she would ever say it, but you guys mean a lot to her...well everyone but your boyfriend anyway."

We shared a laugh as Isaac grunted in his sleep. I turned back to him, "Yea...she means a lot to me too."

"Though if Stilinski doesn't man up, the two of us need to stage an intervention or something."

I laughed again, "You've got yourself a deal, Mahealani."

We shared one more smile before Ethan sat next to him, nodding to me slightly. _What the hell was that?_ I left the two alone, moving to the middle of the bus so that Isaac could sleep. I found the rest of the group, sans Boyd, but bumped into Coach on my way to them.

"It's a small bus, McGrath, give an old Coach some room huh?" I squeezed through, going next to Piper. _More like give an old tubby coach some room…right? No wonder he likes to be called Cupcake..he's fluffy like one. _I returned Piper's smile as I sat down, noting that Scott looked more confused than usual. _Did I miss something big?_

"The pup still asleep?" she asked me quietly and without even a hint of malice in her voice. _Huh...impressive._

"Hmm?" I looked away from Scott, after actually registering that she'd asked a question. "Uh yea...I figured it would be easier without the two of us in the seat…" _Well that and I wanted to give Danny and Ethan some semblance of privacy...they reeked of tension that I'm sure will be released at some point on the bus._

"Didn't stop you two last night." Stiles muttered. I reached forward and flicked my wrist, firmly smacking him upside the head. _Yet another move you stole from a television show...only this time it's one of his own. _"OW…" He cried out, "_bitch_…" _And something tells me he realizes it too._

"Careful, Red, I know where you sleep." I deadpanned, _And where your dad keeps the handcuffs...and the guns...and several other things thanks to my recent week of insomnia. _

He looked back at me, trying to figure out a comeback, "Yea and I know where you-"

"Stiles we shared a seat to sleep in too, so leave Steph alone." Piper cut in with a laugh, stopping the argument that was borderline sibling-like. _Huh...well now you can put a label on how you feel about him...it's about damn time...it's been driving me-_

"Wait you guys _what_?" I laughed, my disbelief thick in the sentiment. _dost my ears deceive me or do I hear-_

She cleared my throat and cast a mischievous glance at Stiles. "He made me… I didn't want to." _Denial….I once again am only hearing denial...same song, different and deceptive start._

I gave out a brief snort of annoyance, "Danny and I may need to stage that intervention sooner than we thought…."

"An intervention for what?" Piper inquired, making me wish I had mumbled it lower so that even the werewolves hadn't heard it. _You're never that lucky._

"Oh, that's for me to know and you to dot, dot, dot." I said, smirking with the quote.

The smirk widened to a grin as Stiles groaned, "You so did _not _just use a Damon Salvatore quote to make yourself seem mysterious." _Bitch please, I'm mysterious on my own right...okay fine, I did, but you just added to my ammunition. _

"I _so_ did, and you admitting that you watched it with me was just an added bonus." I said, the smirk returning as Lydia gave me a high five, and Allison even managed a grin of amusement. _Wow… you even got the huntress to relax a little, color me impressed._

"I can't even look at you guys right now." Piper twisted her face with a look of mock horror. "I am so ashamed of you both." _Whatever...sorry not all of us sit and binge watch Deadliest Warrior._

"Oh, you know you're proud that I made him get into something girly," I chided, just to further prove to her that she _was_ a part of the group. Then to make Scott still be able to respect Stiles added, "Besides, it has hot girls _and _hot guys along with death and supernatural drama. It's perfect for us. It's like our lives, only you know, not since vampires don't exist." _Oh god I really hope so...like we need them to add to our hectic lives..._

"You hope." Stiles muttered, "Who knows at this rate."

"I bet there is a girl who looks like Lydia in it," Piper started with an annoyed look only to hear Lydia talking to Coach about seeing his whistle, "speak of the devil and she appears…" _Then maybe I shouldn't mention that the original Bonnie from the books is very similar to her in appearance..._

I focused back on Lydia, as she-Ignoring Coach's comment about needing that back _Well tough, I say he should have it revoked...it's too much of a power trip for him-_sat down and blew into the whistle. Her hand was cupped over it, so the sound was muffled, but it was what her hand revealed that was so shocking. For sitting in a small pile in her hand, was "Wolfsbane."

_Well that makes a shit ton of sense, not gonna lie._We all looked at her with varying expressions. _Wait, that means that-_Stiles slowly interrupted my thoughts, only to speak them aloud for everyone to hear.

"So every time the coach blew the whistle on the bus," Lydia nodded encouraging him to continue with his thought, _Come on...you can do it….you can do it little human...You're awful- only you were thinking it too. _"Scott, Isaac, Boyd…" He listed.

"and Ethan." Lydia interjected.

"Also Piper and I." I had barely let the statement out when I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth"Oh my god our fight at the rest stop!" _That's why I was so awful...it was the wolfsbane making me crazy! Well more accurately, making you crazy. _I inwardly shrugged, _Sorry wolfy, but if I were human that wouldn't have happened...so this one falls on you._

"We all inhaled it." Scott said in typical Scott befuddlement, _Aww come on Scottles, we were doing so well, don't fall into old patterns! Your mom'll kill us both._

"You were all _poisoned_ by it." Allison corrected causing us all to go silent._ That girl makes my head spin. I can never really tell if she's going to judge us or comfort us, it's dizzying._

"Bet it makes Stiles regret trying to reason with coach…" I thought, wincing as I realized I had once again said something inappropriate aloud and hoped no one had heard it. Piper fixed me with a glare, showing me I wasn't so lucky in that department. _What did I say earlier? Luck just isn't in the cards for you in this conversation. _

She looked like she was about to say something, but Stiles was talking again,_ yea he does a lot of that...something you claim to like, Pipes so get used to it now. _"So that's how the Darach got in their heads. That's how he did it." _Really great deduction there, Stiles...excellent detective work. Man...what is wrong with you and him today? Are you seriously still offended by his first comment to you? Or are you just pissy that he is in even more severe a denial than Piper because damn do you need to chill..._

"I wonder if that means this whole meet was a sham…" I mused, "A way to get all of us away from town and alone…" _Three easy sacrifices for the taking...and it could have been any combination of the six of us. _

"I don't know." Piper replied thoughtfully. "I mean I wasn't even supposed to be on the bus…" _Yeah, let's not think about it...we are on to happy times now..._She shrugged. "Maybe it was just pure luck on the -"

She was cut off when Stiles suddenly grabbed the whistle. He yanked down the window above Scott's head, making me more than a little curious.

"Stiles what are you-" I started, but he just tossed Coach's whistle out the window, I laughed slightly in shock. _Well that makes sense, actually, wow good deduction skills steph…._

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Stilinski!" Coach shouted as the bus jerked forward and we were back on the road and heading towards Beacon Hills.I occupied myself with some more banter with Stiles on our next set of shows to watch when Piper left, after saying something about checking on Jared. I had caught her saying something about 'he's going to kill me' before, but decided she would come to me when she was ready...or at least I hoped so. Right as I _finally_ got Stiles to _finally_ admit he was actually enjoying the Vampire Diaries, my phone buzzed with a new text from Isaac.

**From Isaac 3**

** Hey, Puffin? I love that you left me the seat to myself so I could sleep in and all, but could you please come back now? Ethan and Danny are starting to make me feel uncomfortable with their making out and such… :/**

I looked back and struggled to suppress the laugh that was bubbling to my lips as Isaac gave me his best Puppy dog eyes next to the _very_ -ahem- acquainted...pair.

_Yup..it's good to have everything back to normal. Or at least as normal as they can be with an evil druid out sacrificing people and an alpha pack trying to kill your own..._

* * *

_And that's all guys! This was such a hard and emotional episode to do, so I really needed the second half to have some comic relief/ emotional bleach to make things happy again! I hope you don't find it too silly, and liked the little moments between all the characters. As always, review or follow/fave to let me know how I'm doing!_

_Thanks for reading, _

_~Gwen_


	11. A Close Call

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_What is it? Are you going to go through a pro and con list on saving Piper? I know it sounds crazy, but she's not who we think she is! She's more like the girl she showed us than you think! She's just being forced to do these things to us."_

"_Man first she gets worried about you...and now I get to see you getting jealous of Boyd...unseeing people...I'll never get them."_

"_I do care, Isaac. In fact, I care too much. And I'm scared because I don't want to lose everything good about myself. And Isaac, everything that is good about me, is you."_

"_I, Isaac Lahey, love you, Stephanie McGrath. You are the strongest, bravest, and most caring person I know. You throw yourself in front of everyone else because you don't care if you get hurt in the place of someone else. So stop thinking you're nothing, and be someone because you are a beautiful person and you deserve all that I can give and more."_

_Now if only we could figure out what was going on with these sacrifices, and what to do about the alpha pack..._

* * *

_Chapter 11: Failures in Protection and Tragic Consequence_

"Ugh! I can't believe we missed two days of school in the guise of a trip only for someone to try and get all of us werewolves to kill themselves!" I groaned, flopping onto Stiles' bed.

We had just gotten home from that nightmare of a motel and the bus ride had been torturously long. Boyd had saved Isaac from Danny and Ethan by moving himself and my mate to the seat in front of Lydia and Allison. We all tried to talk and make light of what had happened, but most of the joking from last night was done. Piper had come back from 'checking on Jared', but kept texting Danny the whole time, not really talking to anyone else. Heck I was too trying to figure out a way to stage our little intervention, but I talked to Lydia or Stiles at points. I mean, really, during our eleven day span of becoming friends, she had admitted that Stiles was her anchor, so it was about time that we got them together. But no...instead I have to live with the denial they had in more ways than one. _Speaking of..._

"Come on, Little Red, she's fine. It's just some sort of dinner she's going to." I stated, not looking towards the teen, but knowing that he was looking for an answer from her. "And don't even try to tell me you're not thinking about it, I can practically _taste_ your worry." _Not to mention it's starting to make you nervous too. _I sat up with a sudden idea. "What we need is a distraction! How about we pop online and go kill some ogres? I mean, if you're going to make me join this online community, the least you can do is have me actually go online and play it."

"No….somethings not right." He said, ignoring my most recent comment altogether. I bit my lip when I noticed he was fidgeting as if he's been taking too much of his adderall again. His knee bouncing frantically and he was looking to the Lumia's screen as a life line.

"Maybe she just doesn't want to talk?" _I mean I wouldn't blame her, you didn't see her last night...or talk to her beforehand. There is a lot of raw emotion in that girl and we need to wait for her to be ready to open up to us...and that's saying something since we're the only two she really talks to. _

"No, she would have something along those lines earlier, or at least given us some lame-ass excuse." _Damn...you are __really__ in denial…" _This?" He waved the phone that hadn't gotten a reply since he texted her on the ride back. "This is not her. She's in trouble, Steph...I can feel it." _Aw man...please don't say that…._

"That's it. You're banned from your phone, crazy pants." I pulled myself off the bed and swiped his phone. As he opened his mouth to protest, "Not another word! No I'm going to get my laptop, and you are going to boot up your desktop so that we can fight some Mythical Creatures. I'm sure Piper will understand your need for a distraction."

"But Steph-" He started as I walked out.

"Don't want to hear it."

"What if-"

"Nope."

"Okay can't I just-"

"Not gonna happen, Stilinski."

"GRAAH!" He groaned in annoyance. Making me laugh evilly, while also being thankful that I had bought my phone in red instead of the same blue his was, so I could tell them apart. After unplugging my laptop, I picked out my outfit for tomorrow. Then I switched out of my dirty, sweaty clothes and into a pair of grey leggings under a jade green short sleeved tunic and a black cardigan vest so that I was comfortable, but if I needed to leave the house, I would still look presentable. when I came back, Stiles was gaping at me in disbelief

"You took your time to change too?!" _Uh yea...did you think I was going to instantly come back and give you your phone?_

I looked at him like the idiot he was being at the moment , "Yes? I've been wearing the same clothes for two days of sitting in a hot ass bus and nearly killed myself in them. Did you really expect me to stay in that?"

He glared at me, "God, you knew what I meant! God...Remind me why I let you live with me again? All you do is torture me and take up all the hot water." _As if, you _know _that's not-_I stopped my internal comeback as I saw the smirk on his face. _Oh, he's kidding...Which is good because then he's less worried. _

"Because you are an amazing friend who will humor me on this, so _I _don't go crazy?" I said, batting my eyelashes in an 'I'm so innocent' type fashion, making him laugh slightly.

"Fine...but you get to be the one who rolls for traps." _Aw man again? I swear the kid uses his virtual skills in this to get you kill out of his real life jealousy of your real wolf skills or something…._

Three hours later, I had made the mistake of leaving his phone behind when I went to get us some food. When I came back with two bottles of coke and a heaping plate of very loaded nachos, he was pacing the room with it attached to his ear. Rolling my eyes,I placed the items on his desk keeping one water to myself and opening it with a resigned sigh. Settling into his desk chair, I thought of what to say to help him, since he was clearly going out of his mind with worry. _And you aren't? When was the last time you heard from her? Aren't those 'dinners' usually done by know?_ I picked my own phone from my desk and checked it in the off chance she might have said something to me and not him, but it all that was there was a couple of texts from Isaac stating that he was bored alone at the McCall house. I rolled my eyes and sent him a text saying I was taking care of Stiles. Right as Isaac replied saying he hoped everything was okay, Piper finally decided to answer the teen.

"Piper where the hell are you?!" He was pacing as he huffed into his phone, "I swear if you are out partying somewhere…"

I winced as I caught the untold feeling of '_if you don't tell me you're okay right now so help me...'_ in his voice. Stiles was tense with worry, seeing through whatever lies she was about to tell him. _As if she could properly lie to him anyway. I doubt anyone could lie to Stiles, but when it came to me, her and Scott? Guy read us like open books._ He could tell when something was up, but I couldn't figure out what. Her voice was faint so, I couldn't hear even it with my heightened hearing. _What is going on? Does this have to do with that she said about 'him' killing her on the bus? _I jumped at alert when his voice got softer, having broken whatever code she'd had used on him, her sarcasm hardly even affecting him this time.

"It's okay. Where are you?" I stood from the chair, handing him the keys to his jeep as he took off down the hallway, mouthing 'something's wrong…' In spite of the situation, I found myself smiling as his whole body seemed to be there with her already, alert and wary of anything coming near her. _But seriously? Shouldn't we be helping him to find her? Right...right…_ As I grabbed my own keys- to here and to the clinic- along with my phone, I heard him speaking up again.

"Pipes, stay with me okay." Stiles insisted. _Oh god...this is really bad isn't it...really really bad. _"I need you to tell me where you are." There was barely a pause for us when he replied, coming back to the room to grab my arm and pull me out of the house. _Oh god...oh god. ooooh god..._

"Yes, I'm already on my way." Stiles answered immediately, my presence all but forgotten in the search for hers. He listened for a few more seconds before cursing under his breath and throwing his phone onto the dash of the jeep, both of us climbing into it. "God _Damn _it!"

I watched in horror, as worry, anger, and pain played across his features. "Stiles you need to tell me what's going on...let me help you."

"She's at the clinic, but she's barely holding on...I think the Alphas did something to her. I swear to god if one of those twins so much as put a _finger_ on her-" He stopped, gripping the steering wheel tightly and glaring darkly into the night.

"Okay, I'm going to call Isaac and Boyd and have them meet us there...that way if the Alphas are still there we'll have backup…" He nodded, "And then I'm going to call De-Deaton." I stuttered, switching names before Stiles noticed, _God what I would give to have Derek here right now…_ And as I put that plan into motion, Stiles peeled out of the parking lot and towards our friend. _Please be okay, Piper...please…_

* * *

I unlocked the clinic with shaking hands, pushing through the door and moving to the back as Stiles, Boyd and Isaac followed close behind me. "I just got here, Doc...tell me what to do?"

"Well, I need you to take a few deep breathes," His voice was calm and urgent, as I complied, "Now tell me what you see."

I looked at where she lay on the table, her hair was splayed out, in different tangles, and her clothing was torn. "She-uh- She's not moving, or even healing…" I handed the phone to Isaac putting him on speaker phone. Moving closer to her, I sobbed, "I don't think she's breathing. Stiles! I need you to get me a shot of adrenaline from that cabinet. Boyd, go and get me some bandages and medical tape."

"What do you need me to do?" Isaac stood over me, looking down at my shaking hands, "Steph..let me help you?"

I sighed, pulling at the remains of her shirt so inspect her wounds, "I need you to talk to Deaton until he gets here, telling him everything I relay to you." He nodded and I started, _Good...think about this clinically...unemotionally. _"Okay, she's got what looks to be deep lacerations on her stomach with some surface ones on her arms and face, but none of them are what's doing that to her…" I leaned forward, sniffing around to see if there was something she was poisoned with. My eyes widened, "She has wolfsbane in her system...I can't tell if it's digestive or circulatory…"

Stiles and Boyd stood by me, giving me the supplies while Isaac listened to Deaton. "He said that if she's not healing, it's in her blood and that you need to flush the wolfsbane out of her system to trigger the healing process...does anyone know what her blood type is?"

"It's A positive," I turned to Stiles, "We did the blood lab in Biology together."

"Well I don't think we have any of that in an IV…" I muttered. _What do we do what do we do? _

"My blood type is A positive." Boyd said, making us look to him, " I can give some of it if you need it."

I ran a hand through my hair, "Okay, well I'm not even close to qualified to do that, so we're going to patch her up, and Stiles I need you to fill a couple IV bags of Boyd's blood, can you do that for me?" He nodded and I turned to Isaac, "You keep him updated, while I work."

"What are you going to do?" Isaac looked at me worriedly, as I grabbed a pair of forceps.

Grabbing a needle and thread, I turned to him, "I'm going to sew her back up so that when we try to get get rid of the poison, she doesn't bleed out." I turned to Piper, and sighed, hearing her pulse grow weaker. "Hang in there, Pipes...we're going to fix you up." I swallowed thickly, "You just need to be strong for me okay?"

* * *

I was dimly aware of everyone else talking, but my eyes never left Piper as I worked on her, helping Deaton when he took over. They were calling her name as I muttered for her to stay strong over and over again. We'd cycled two pints of Boyd's blood into her, allowing another IV to take out her poisoned blood. Soon she was healing again and the IV drips were removed. All that was left to do was wait until she woke up. I don't know how long we stood there, waiting for her to wake up. Stiles and I kept taking shifts to hold onto her hand, talking to her, pacing when the other took over. When she finally opened her eyes, I was sure that Stiles and I would need new sneakers.

She whimpered at the harsh light above her, turning her head to get away from it, snapping hoarsely.

"If this is Heaven the light is a little too bright." I lighted silently at the comment, adjusting the light so that it was out of her face. "That's better." I heard her mumble, adding a soft "Thank you." after.

"Piper." Deaton's voice was suddenly there and my heart twisted as she started in surprise. She reopened her eyes, the pupils dilating to adjust to the light. She licked lips hesitantly, as if she was afraid he was going to be mad about the state of the clinic _Oh honey, we made it so much worse patching you up..._

"Present." Came the dutiful, but still weak response. _But at least she's still able to be snarky...that's a good sign, right? _

"Can you tell me what happened?" Deaton inquired, his voice calm but underneath there was the concern we all felt right now. Isaac took my hand in his, while Boyd placed a hand on Stiles' shoulders, the two of them trying their best to understand what it was we were going through right now. _Hell...that's what, but it's looking up now that she's actually awake. _

She lay there for a few seconds, clearly not wanting to relieve whatever happened to make us find her like that. Not that I blamed her, but hell, we needed to know so that we could protect her. My breathing hitched in my throat as Stiles, took her hand, his voice no longer shaking, but soothing and caring.

"It's okay." Stiles said, and I felt myself smile a little when she squeezed it back.

She nodded to him before looking to Deaton, "Deucalion shot me up with wolfsbane…" _I should have known it was that bastard. I swear to God when I find him I'm gonna-_She looked around, finally meeting the gazes of everyone in the room. "They know and so this was my punishment." A rueful smile curved into her lips, "I was supposed to be at their mercy… guess it didn't work as well as they hoped." _Not after the scariest hour I'd had it didn't..._

"I'm an omega now." she whispered, falling a back into her shell, "or at least an Alpha without a pack." Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, making me wince as she looked to me pupils blown wide in anxiety. "I have no idea what I'm going to do." Her body went taut with a sort of still determination, "I'll have to leave… have to start running before they realize I'm not dead."

"To hell you are." I muttered, making everyone look at me surprised, since I hadn't spoken since we started to patch her up aside from barking a few orders when I needed something. "You aren't an Omega, Piper_. _You've got a pack right here, who cares about you." Her eyes hardened against any emotion she would have let out. _Don't you dare shut me out, Piper! Not after everything we went through damn it! _I decided to bring out the hard facts, "Hell if it wasn't for Stiles and Boyd you probably wouldn't be talking to us right now."

She turned to Stiles and Boyd, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief. "Oh really…"

"Yea, Boyd here gave you a bit of his blood, and Stiles' paranoia is what got us to find you." I said, laughing shakily, "You scared us half to death kid...all of us."

She looked at everyone again, her eyes going downcast as she flushed, "I'm sorry." Then she grumbled, "I didn't exactly plan to get killed today." Pausing she looked around at everyone before frowning at me, "Do you honestly believe Derek would accept me?" She laughed without humor, "Come on Steph. Not only am I an Alpha but I was apart of this big plan to take him down and destroy his pack." Under her breath she added with slight self-discrimination, "I certainly wouldn't take me. I'll have to figure something else out."

"What _Derek?_ Why do you have to worry about Derek if he's…" _Dead? Gone? Has Ceased to be?_

"Ethan told us they're pretty sure he's still alive." Stiles, said, not meeting Piper's gaze after her sad little speech. _He probably hates to see her so down on herself...kinda like how Isaac is with you._ He ran a hand through his hair, looking worn and tired, "Sorry I hadn't gotten a chance to tell you...I was…"

"Distracted." Isaac said, nodding in understanding. _I guess he would know better than anyone…._ "But why wouldn't he come looking for us?"

"He's in pretty bad shape, I'm sure." Deaton said, with a thoughtful expression, "If when they brought Ennis in was any indication, it would take a lot for him to make it out, let alone survive without help."

"The plan was never to actually kill Derek." Piper pointed out as she slipped off the exam table. In the process she waved away Stiles when he tried to help her, "Deucalion is so confident in his ability to persuade Derek that he got a little too cocky." She shrugged, fiddling with the zipper of the gray hoodie that suspiciously looked like the one Stiles has. _That's because it is...you should know, it's the same one he let you borrow back when we dealt with Jackson...but something tells me it means a little more with __her__. _"I'm not even sure anymore what he plans to do. Kali just wants revenge for her mate and -" Her words trailed off, getting this distant look in her eyes. "And I can try to figure out more. I can just play spy again."

"No you _won't_." Stiles and I snapped at the same time, making everyone look at us strangely. _Uh me too...you guys living together was a terrible Idea, you're starting to twin now…_

I shook my head, "Piper, I just did everything in my power to stop you from _dying_ because they f_ound out you were spying. _What makes you think they'll look at you alive and just let you back in? They'll _know_ we helped you and they'll _know_ that you are still trying to help us."

She frowned at me, protesting, "I wasn't a spy. I was -" She shook her correcting herself, "I am a traitor. Those are two different things Steph."

Stiles nodded at my words, completely ignoring Piper's protest, looking to her with slightly dewy eyes, "We can't lose you like we almost did last night or tonight, Pipes..._I_ can't lose you like that."

We all watched as she processed my words and his confession, different emotions flashing in her still form. Finally, she sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Fine...Then what do you propose we do because I can tell you right now Kali isn't going to be held off for much longer." She smiled grimly, the desire for revenge causing her eyes to glow red, "Besides it is my turn to use _her_ as a punching bag."

As Deaton opened his mouth to respond, Stiles got a text from Scott. "Uh Scott said something's going on at the hospital...two of the Doctors are missing."

"Or taken." I said, thinking to the differences in the groups of three. "Which means they're going after healers now?" _Healers like Deaton….like Scott's mom._

Stiles stood there, trying to figure out what to do. "My dad is probably there already since Scott said that the doctor on call's car crashed in the parking lot without a driver." He took a breath, about to say something else, to try and talk his way into staying, but the very reason he was doing so spoke up.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Piper asked. "Why aren't you leaving to go help Scott and your Dad?"

"Wha- Because I-" I winced, stepping forward to save the poor guy. _God is she clueless._

"We've got it, Stiles, really. Go help Scott." I smiled lightly, placing a hesitant hand on Piper's shoulder.

He still looked unsure, looking to her as if begging her to have him stay. _He is really scared she'll leave if he goes...that she'll run or get hurt. He's terrified that he'll lose her if he walks away at this moment. _Suddenly, Piper surged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm still going to be here, you _idiot. _I'm not going anywhere," She pulled away with a small smile, "Go help Scott."

I watched him visibly relax, catching Isaac looking at me knowingly. _Yea, yea, we got that you caught on, dear...give it a rest. _After sighing, he nodded, looking to me for a second.

"I'll let you know what I find when I get home? Do you have your keys?"

I rolled my eyes, realizing what he was doing. _He's making sure you stay safe, he doesn't want to have to worry about losing anyone else. _"Yes, Big brother, I have my keys and stay out of trouble. Make sure you keep your dad safe okay?" _I don't want to lose anyone else either._ "Make sure _you're _safe?" He nodded, giving Piper one last look before leaving, the bell of the door ringing with his departure. Everyone turned to me, with sad expressions. "What?"

"You have no intention of going back there tonight do you?" Isaac said, with a grim expression.

"With this things coming after healers when we know at least two?" I looked to my boss pointedly, "Absolutely not."

* * *

The next morning came quickly with my phone buzzing and Deaton's voice overhead.

"Really girls?" I shifted slightly from my position against the modest dresser, not ready to wake up just yet. "Girls!"

I jumped up into a standing position looking at about five missed texts from Isaac from around three hours ago. Piper who had been curled on the floor with her face buried in her arms, stirred and blinked at us with a sleepy gaze. "Five more minutes please?" Adding with a yawn as she stretched, "I was having such a nice dream. Kali was begging for mercy and -"

"Girls, what are you two doing here? I thought you left after Boyd and Isaac left."

"Uh, we were watching over you...why else would be here at your place?" She paused wincing when she turned her neck a certain way. _Well I'm sure sleeping on the floor wasn't comfortable. Note that your own neck is stiff from leaning against a piece of furniture. _ "It isn't' for my health…" She paused, her expression going a little sheepish as she corrected herself, "well maybe a little, but that's besides the point."

I scratched at the back of my head, "We wanted to make sure you weren't the third sacrifice is all…" _Maybe we should have checked with him first...thank __god__ he sleeps with clothes on….that would have been awkward._

Deaton sighed, looking at us from his bed, "That's all well and good, but you were both of you asleep just now." He raised an eyebrow, "I am a little concerned that if this is your diligence in a human life, how can I trust either of you with the animals at the clinic?" _Was that a joke? Did my boss just cracked a funny when he seriously could have been taken with that screw up." _

Piper and I looked to each other, me still massaging my sore neck when she spoke up. "Nice going Steph, you were on watch last."

My eyes widened, looking at her, "What are you talking about?" _I thought you were on watch last..._ "No I wasn't."

Piper quirked an amused eyebrow at me, "Uh, yea you were, remember? You had timed it with Isaac so the two of you would stay up while him and Scott watched over Melissa."

I looked down on at my phone with an embarrassed expression on my face, " Oh yea…" I looked at him slightly ashamed, "I might've been on watch last."

Deaton gave me a sympathetic smile on his face, "Well as much as I appreciate your concern girls, I'm only a vet and the other two people were doctors." He raised an eyebrow, going all mysterious on us like always, "Besides, I think I can survive without you two worrying about me."

I looked down at my fingers, picking at the nails, "Yeah, well, healers come with all sorts of labels...and doc, were definitely a healer last night." _I mean you saved Pipers live last night._

Deaton looked at me, understanding filling his eyes, "Yeah, well, by that logic, you would be in danger as well…" _What? No...I didn't really do much...just patched her up when she healed over anyway… "_Now with all that being said, I believe the two of you have school?"

A few minutes later, Piper and I were walking out of Deaton's modest apartment building with me shaking my head and waving my arms in annoyance.

"How can we go to school when Deaton or Melissa could get captured, or even that Derek could be killed by Kali at any minute?" I huffed, looking to Piper as she walked silently next to me. "Pipes?"

She looked at me, a distracted look in her eyes, "Hmm?"

"School. Are we even bothering with it?"

"Well…" She hedged, "As much as I would love to skip so I could go get my stuff from Deucalion's place." She looked at her dead phone with a sigh, "I unfortunately have a promise to keep." She stopped, her nose wrinkling in apparent distaste, "But maybe we could skip first period? Because I don't know about you but I need a shower and fresh clothes - this outfit is getting old." She grinned at me, "Do you still have the bag I stashed at your place or did you throw it away?"

I groaned, but motioned for her to follow me, "I still have it...doesn't mean I have to be happy about going to school." _Well I guess the whole let's be a better Steph McGrath plan no longer include school huh?_

We went to back to the Stilinski house-_ It's your house now too, ya dope...don't you see that?_, me taking the sheriff's master bathroom while Piper took the one I share with Stiles. I got out first, tussling some moose into my waves, I let my hair loose, I admired my outfit. _I'm sure Piper would be so proud of this cute number._ I adjusted the blue criss-crossed tunic over the denim high-waisted shorts with a smile. _Well at least now it will prove to her that Lydia has a more mature style. She helped me pick this out. _I slipped on the cute little suede ankle boots and brought myself into the guest-to _my_ room.

I slipped on my dog tags, feeling like I needed to have those names today. I don't know why but it seemed important. I put on the turquoise bead over it for a stylistic flare before adding both the plain leather with the star studded cuff with my beaded cuff, leaving the one wrist bare, but adorning that hand with my moonstone ring. I finished the look with a small messenger back of grey leather, my leather jacket draped over it, just in case it got cold. By the time I got down the stairs, the water turned off to signal that Piper had finished her I had a few more minutes, I went to the kitchen and put a couple of frozen breakfast sandwiches in the microwave and poured two glasses of orange juice.

My phone started to buzz in my back pocket as the microwaved chimed to signal the readiness of the sandwiches. I pulled it to my ear, grabbing the plate.

"Hello?"

_**Hey steph, good job keeping me awake for my watch over Ms. McCall.**_

I rolled my eyes, dropping the plate on the table, "Well you didn't exactly save Deaton's life either, but something tells me that's not why you called."

He sighed, making me wish I had joked around for a while longer. _**Well you'd be right. Cora called and said that the Alpha's left their symbol on the loft window. They're coming for Derek, Steph...And their coming soon.**_

I froze, a knot forming in my stomach as I stared at Piper, who had arrived when I first went to the microwave, "Piper and I will be right there."

I hung up, grabbing my sandwich, and leaving the house, with Piper following behind with a resigned sigh.

* * *

_And that's the chapter! Figured y'all needed more Piper/steph or just Piper love. Or at last I did. :P Anyway, hope you guys liked it, Read fave, follow, whatever._

_Thank you for your support!_

_~Gwen_


	12. Failures in Protection

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_You aren't an Omega, Piper. You've got a pack right here, who cares about you."_

"_Do you honestly believe Derek would accept me?"_

"_Come on Steph. Not only am I an Alpha but I was apart of this big plan to take him down and destroy his pack. __I'm not even sure anymore what he plans to do. Kali just wants revenge for her mate."_

"_How can we go to school when Deaton or Melissa could get captured, or even that Derek could be killed by Kali at any minute?"_

_Cora just called __**They're coming for Derek, Steph...And their coming soon.**_

* * *

_Chapter 12: Failures in Protection and Tragic Consequences_

"So…" Piper paused, looking at the loft door with mild curiosity, "This is the bat cave…" Chucking, "I mean the mighty Alpha's den." Surveying the walls she added, "Something tells me I am not going to be impressed."

I rolled my eyes, looking to my old home with slight affection. "It's a little rough around the edges, but it'll work it's way into your heart." I side eyed her with a smile, "It reminds me of someone I know."

Isaac and Boyd laughed, walking with us into the darkened loft. We stopped when Derek's voice sounded from the spiral staircase.

"Go back to School." _How can he be so annoyingly glib when we all thought he was dead?_

Isaac and I walked forward with smiles on our faces while he spoke up, "Well, actually, we can't. Boyd and I, along with Steph and Piper here are incredibly and un_believably_ sick."

"With what, brain damage?" _Okay that was a good one, gotta admit…a little hurtful, but good. _

Isaac pointed to himself, approaching the table, "Well, I have a migraine along with Steph, and, uh, Boyd here," He turned around walking back a little, "has explosive diarrhea."

Piper pat the Boyd on the shoulder when he looked away embarrassed, "Meanwhile, I have a classic case of head lice." She grinned cheekily, "Its quite horrible."

Boyd looked to us then towards Derek, "We're here to protect you."

I leaned on the table as Isaac sat up on it, "Not to mention, you know, say we're happy to see you're not dead _already._" I turned to him looking through the railing, "Thanks for the text message on that one by the way, really appreciate it." _Cuz we're not bitter about it or anything...no...not poor, sweet little Stephanie._

Piper laughed, shaking her head, "Now, Steph, don't be Bitter. Like Boyd said, we're here to _protect_ him, not _whine _at him."

I stuck my tongue out with her returning the favor as Derek came down the spiral steps to stand by Isaac, "_You're_ here to protect _me_? Well, I'm in trouble then."

Isaac lifted an arm up, looking up from the book he was leaving through, _Wait isn't that the book that-_ "Actually, Boyd here came up with a plan."

Boyd nodded moving forward to drop his duffel bag and open it, "Yeah, I thought about the time Gerard had me and Erica" At the mention of my former best friend, I clasped my dog-tags, fingering the engravings of the date we found her sadly, "locked up, tied up with electrical wires pushing current through us. I was wondering how we could do something like that…" He pulled out a large coil of wire that was exposed on one end, "But on a bigger scale." _As if the regular scale wasn't bad enough..._

Derek looked at all of us with his arms crossed, "Are you serious? We're resorting to hunter's methods now?"

I rolled my eyes, "Well it's worked out pretty well for _them_ hasn't it?" I shrugged, "Besides, before going off on whatever errand you sent her on, your sister agreed to it, so you have no choice in the matter."

Derek sighed, "Fine, but anyone want to explain to me what she's doing here?" He pointed to Piper, "Last time I checked she works for the people who sent me this." He turned to the window where Deucalion's symbol stood in dark, black paint. "And also helped them to break up our fighting dynamics to take us down."

Boyd stood up, looking at Derek steadily, "She helped to save Stephanie during the motel incident I told Cora about. I'm sure she told you too."

"Besides, she doesn't work for Duke anymore." I said, looking at her warmly, "She's with us now...they tried to kill her last night for not being loyal."

"Uh, yea, she's also still in the room, so if we could use her name, or at least let her speak for herself, that would be _great._" She said with a snide smile, before turning to Derek. "I know I've given you no reason to, but I need you to believe me when I say Kali isn't going to get anywhere near you."

"Especially after the beating she took from the bitch when they-" I started back up with my defense, but Piper held up a hand to stop me.

"It's okay Stephanie." She gave me a small smile before looking back at an irritated Derek. "He is right. I don't blame him for not accepting my change of heart." She shrugged. "I wouldn't either if I was in his place." Crossing her arms, she sighed, "The point is I am not asking to join your pack, nor am I asking you to trust me." She smiled rather ruefully then, "But I am apologizing. I never meant -" She waved her hand around to encompass the room, "for any of this to get as bad as it did." Not sure what else to say she took a deep breath before plunging ahead, "That all being said you _need _our, my, help in order to stop Kali. So just stop being a baby and accept it like a man."

I smirked, looking to Isaac, "A beautiful shining moment...and then she had to ruin it with that mouth of hers."

Isaac chuckled slightly, but we all looked to Derek, holding our breaths as we waited for him to say something. He sighed, looking at the floor then back at her.

"Alright. I'm trusting you-For now." He looked around the room pointedly, "If you can get them to all vouch for you, I have to believe you're sincere. Don't make me regret that."

"Wouldn't dream of it." She said with a smirk, "Though I could probably still kick your ass to next week if I really wanted to." She yawned, "Give me a few days and I'll be ready."

I let out a sigh of relief, "Well that wasn't so bad was it?"

Piper commented dryly, "It was." She shuddered, "I had to actually...apologize." Her face twisted at the last word, like it was something foreign to her.

Isaac nodded, looking slightly put out. "And here we thought there was going to come down to an exchange of blows…"

I slapped him lightly in the shoulder, "You mean _you _thought that. Don't sound so disappointed, one of them might change their mind."

Derek shook his head, a small laugh leaving his lips as he turned away from us and looked to Boyd, "So what is this big scale plan of yours?"

* * *

We all stood in the 'mud room' behind the broken wall, Boyd attaching a hose to the spigot we had there._ huh..I didn't even know that was there, though most of the time I spent here was upstairs in my room...girl, you need to get a life outside of that mate of yours, maybe separate housing is a good thing._

Turning the spout on, he pulled the house with him to have it pour water on the floor. While Isaac and I were leaning next to the elevator shaft, Piper was standing next to Derek. It was actually kind of amusing to see the two alphas listening to what he had to say with dual looks of attention and arms crossed over their chests. _This must be what Stiles and I look like to everyone else, only more spastic and less somber..._

Boyd turned to us, talking us through his idea, "In a pool of electrified water, it can take up to 50 milliamps to kill a normal human, less than the power it takes to turn on a light bulb."

Derek tilted his head, "That's comforting."

"Sure...that's one way to describe it," I muttered, playing with my hands, but stopping when I noticed Isaac was too. _Huh...did he pick that up from me or the other way around?_

Boyd gave me a withering look before looking back to Derek, "If we disable the circuit interrupter in the building's electrical room, the current will keep coming, and anyone who steps foot in here, they'll get a pretty shocking surprise."

Isaac pulled up from the wall, walking next to Derek with his hands behind his back, "Especially someone who's barefoot."

"Like Kali." Piper snarled, her eyes flashing with anger and annoyance. "But you know… to test it out…" She looked at Derek with raised eyebrows, "Maybe someone…" Her eyes narrowed in amusement, "Should test it out?" She tapped her chin as if trying to figure out who that _someone_ would be, "Derek. I think because we went through all this trouble… you should just stick a toe in to see if it works."

"Piper…" I said, "What did I say about being nice?"

"That was nice!" She protested, "I could have just pushed him in and watched to see what happened…"

"Well we actually need to have executed the plan so you would have failed as he just stood there in water." I said before frowning, "But I still told you to be a little nicer than that."

Isaac laughed, "You actually had to _tell_ her to be nice? Why does this not surprise me." He tilted his head to the side, "Though I can't really complain since she hasn't insulted me or called me pup yet, and we've been in the same room for a few hour now. I gotta say, Puffin." He winked at me, "I'm impressed."

I flushed slightly like I did whenever he called me that, turning to Boyd, "So Boyd..." I cleared my throat, "How much water do we need in the loft for this to work?" _Like I said...a life outside of him...you need one._

Boyd shrugged, "Only about ankle deep? But we're going to need something to rest on so that we can reach the power or move when we need to."

Derek turned to me, "What did you do with those large wooden palettes that were all over the place when we first got here?"

"I put them in the elevator, since we were lucky enough to have it stuck on our floor when they stopped using it." Isaac gave me a look, "What? I was going to repurpose them, but didn't get the chance to since-" _we were kicked out? _"Ahem...since we got a little busy with an alpha back out for our heads."

"Nice cover, McGrath...real smooth." Derek smirked, "Come on, help me get them out."

We placed three or four of the platforms in each the area between the elevator and Derek's little alarm box, standing as we waited for the water to fill.

"Bet this makes you regret the whole open floor plan thing huh…" I said after about twenty minutes of silence and the water moving at a glacial pace. When no one said anything I added, "I mean this brings a new definition to boredom...it's almost as bad as watching paint dry."

"Speaking of new definitions of things…" Piper turned to me from her spot next to Boyd, "What did Deaton mean this morning about you being a healer too? And why didn't you let him explain?"

I sat from my spot next to Isaac, not sure about what to say. _The truth? _If I told her about how I had done most of the work to make sure she didn't die by the time Deaton had arrived, she would be panicking about me becoming a sacrifice. Despite me being safe since I wasn't human. _Yea well they tried to sacrifice werewolves too, or don't you remember your little trip down memory lane that got a little too interactive?_

"Stephanie…" She prompted at my lack of a response. "Are you in danger? Did you stupidly put yourself under this _thing's_ radar by helping me?" Her eyes narrowed meanly. "Tell me."

I sighed, "I hardly _did_ anything, just patched you up so that when Deaton did the blood transfer you wouldn't bleed out." I shook my head, "It was nothing, really. I doubt that Darach will be coming after me for my sewing skills. If anything, you should be thankful I gave you dissolvable stitches and kept you modestly covered and be more concerned about Stiles or Boyd who did the IV."

"Well, actually, me and Isaac did. He didn't want to worry you while you were panicking and everything, but Stiles isn't a big fan of needles." Boyd corrected.

I made an O with my lips, "That's why Isaac switched out with him to hold the phone…" I ran a hand through my hair, "I should have been more careful...I should have checked that-"

Isaac took my hand from where it was entangled, and interlocked our fingers, "Relax...you were a little preoccupied with your friend bleeding out on a table."

"Yea, and now I have to put you, me, _and_ Boyd in the 'healer' category and likely to-" my phone chimed with a text and I sighed, "get interrupted by a text message apparently." Looking down at the phone I gasped, "Oh no…"

"What is it?" Piper looked at me worriedly, "Is Stiles okay?"

I swallowed, "Yeah, he's fine it's just that…" I held the text message up, "Our protection was needed somewhere else after all."

Everyone gathered to see the message I got from Scott.

**From: Scottles**

** Steph, we have a problem. It's Deaton...he's been taken.**

* * *

"What do you _mean _you're _working on it?" _I hissed into my phone, pacing the small area as Piper clacked into her phone, talking to Stiles. "Scott I'm a little preoccupied keeping Derek safe, and I don't have the connections you and Stilinski have, so I can't really help with this. I'm trusting you can find our boss, and all I get is that you're _working on it_?" This wasn't what I wanted to hear, and it certainly wasn't making me better as Isaac eyed my pacings nervously.

_**It's not like he left a trail of breadcrumbs behind for us to follow Steph. Look, Stiles is checking a lead that Morell gave us.**_

"Our _guidance counselor_ gave you a lead and you _trusted her_ how does she even know anything _about_ the supernatural?" I growled. "And what did she do, tell you to go to_ Lydia_?" _That's rich, she doesn't even know what she is and-_

_**Uh, yeah, actually. How'd you know?**_

I groaned, slapping my forehead, _You have __got__ to be kidding me. _ "I was being _facetious _Scott! We don't even know what she _is_ let alone how to help her hone in on it and you're using her as our _tracking device_?" I stopped pacing and looked to the still filling floor, "That's it, I'm coming to you, where are you?" _If they can't get things done, you just gotta do them yourself. _

_**No, Steph, just stay there with Derek. He'll need you more than Deaton does right now.**_

"I'm leaving him with _plenty _of backup Scott, I think that he'll be-"

_**Steph I will text Isaac to restrain you if I have to. I'm sure he'd rather have you helping where he can protect you.**_

I gasped, looking to Isaac cautiously, "No fair….using the mate against me." I pouted, "I can't even use Allison against you…" Isaac raised an eyebrow at me, so I sighed, "Fine….but keep me updated."

I hung up and glared darkly at the hose. Everyone looked at me with worried looks, or rather, Boyd and Isaac did, while Piper looked pissed, and Derek was amused. "What?"

"You're stuck trying to figure out who to save and instead of being mad at the people who make you choose, your pissed you even _have _to choose." Derek shrugged, "It's admirable."

I glared at him, nor accepting the comment for what it was and looking to Piper, Yeah, well what's got you in a mood?"

"Did you know about Danny?" She demanded, turning her gaze to meet mine. "Because if you did and you didn't tell me -" _Wait wait? What happened to Danny? And did she just accuse me of not telling her?_

"Are you serious? You think that because _Stiles_ told you that I would know too? In case you forgot, I with_ you_ all night trying to keep _our_ boss safe only for him to get captured right after we left him, so _sorry _if I didn't get a chance to talk to him recently!" I shouted, not even caring if it hurt her. Her accusations hurt me and were totally uncalled for. Especially when I_ know_ how much Danny means to her. Heck to me too….he's a friend. And not to mention the boiling guilt in my stomach over the fact that we let Deaton talk us into leaving him. _I should have stayed...he's only human, we could have protected him. _

"That isn't an excuse!" She snapped before visibly trying to pull herself together. _Something you should do too girl...because you got a wee bit defensive there. _"He was hurt Steph… and I didn't know about it." she shook her head, her hands curling into fists at her sides as she threw herself into a whirlwind of self deprecation, "I wasn't there for him. Ethan brought him in because someone poisoned him with mistletoe."_ It's like looking into a mirror isn't it…._

"Yea, well it probably happened last night when we were trying to keep _you_ alive." I felt my voice soften, as I look at her worriedly. _Wait, did she say mistletoe? _"Though why would the Darach go after him…"

"To get to one of us." Boyd interjected firmly. "It was just to throw us off balance...again."

"You mean like how it went after Deaton to keep Scott busy?" Isaac added, looking to me, "Or even keep both you _and_ Scott distracted. I mean look at you. Steph, you can't even think straight."

"I can think _perfectly fine_ thanks." I snapped before shaking my head, "But I should be out looking for him, Derek said it himself, he doesn't have faith in any of us helping him, so one less of us doesn't exactly dampen his odds." I played with my hands again, wringing them as I resumed pacing, suddenly very aware of the small space we were all crammed into. _Don't panic don't panic...just take deep breaths...breathe in….breathe out….and in…..and out..._

"No. If you leave than I am leaving to go to the hospital." Piper declared vehemently snapping me from my thoughts and making my panic rise again. "I came along because _you _wanted me to. Derek doesn't even trust me, so why would I stay, should I stay?" _Well actually he said that he was temporarily trusting you and as for coming with me, you didn't have to and if it is so torturous for you why don't you just-_

"Because neither of you are going anywhere." Derek said, looking up from his phone, "I just got a text from Scott _and_ Stiles saying to keep you both here." _Of course he did, I'm surprised ol' Scottles didn't follow through on his threat about-_

"Yea Scott just texted me too." Isaac said, making me let out groan in annoyance and pace even more frantically. _Thought too soon...I got double whammied….what a __joy__. Oh shit...okay back to breathing...in and out, nice and slowly. You got this girl, just think of calm relaxing things. Dear lord how can Isaac be so calm in such a small space, he has more of a reason than me to hate it and he's just sitting there, nice and calm! This is insane..I can't breathe! I can't-_

"Now why doesn't that surprise me…" I caught Piper's lips quirk into a half smile before she walked over to me, her eyes full of concern. I pretended to ignore her until she put a hand on my shoulder, forcing me stop and look at her. _See, just calm down….focus on the feeling of her hand, the warmth, the steadiness. _

"Are you okay?" she whispered, her voice low as if she didn't want the rest of the group to notice my very obvious anxiety. _Well that is one loaded question sister, I'm trying to calm her and you're just making it worse. _

"Oh yea, I'm fine, I'm just stuck in a small strip of room with three other people while Derek, Danny, my boss, and quite possibly all of my friends are in danger while waiting for a crazy woman who is a possibility of my future to come after Derek for killing her mate. And I'm pretty sure I'm failing Geometry and Econ since I've been skipping so much school." I said running off all that was going on while moving and gesturing about in a way that would make Stiles proud, "But you know, just a normal day for a beacon hills teen wolf."

_You said it, I swear I want my humanity back, this isn't what I signed up for: my soothing won't even be headed and my sass and genius isn't shared like it used to be. _My wolf frowned slightly, her head cocked in though_. Though I do admit living with the Stilinski boys was an unseen plus, and actually having friends….Maybe you should just learn to take in the bad that comes with the good...not that I'm helping right now..._

She snorted. "Good to know you're okay then." she muttered, looking at the others, _Because all that I just said totally makes you see that I'm okay...Joking or not, that's not funny Blakewood. _"So is there anything else we need to do or are we stuck here waiting for Kali to show up?"

"Well, this would help," Boyd stated, tossing the cord into the water with electricity crackling on impact.

_Now we just have to keep Piper from pushing Derek in to test it. _

Isaac pointed to the water, now standing as he moved over to try and calm me down. _Good luck there bud, she won't even listen to __me_ _and __I'm__ the one in her head._ "Is this gonna kill them?"

Boyd crouched down, looking to the water, "I _hope_ so."

"It's the least the bitch deserves…" I muttered leaning into Isaac for support, "Though with Ennis gone, it might be what she wants...whether or not Derek comes with her is probably about all that she cares about." _I can only imagine what it must feel like to lose your mate...she must be torn between a supreme vengeance and crushing desperation. I know I would if anything happened to Isaac...or maybe he would if he lost me._

Derek looked at me with eyes widen in shock at my comment, "And on that cheerful thought brought to you by Steph...We wait." _Oh right, sorry I'm supposed to be the determined, yet spunkily optimistic facet of the group...sorry about that. _

I sighed, resuming my pacing. _I hate waiting..._

* * *

They had sat me down with Isaac after only ten more minutes of pacing. Derek had snapped at me to find a way to calm down or I would be of no help to anyone, not that I was being much help now as I sat and did nothing. I leaned against Isaac's chest, taking in his warmth and scent to calm my nerves.. Instead, I focused on listening to the water moving around us, the ceiling fan on with the power. I listened to Isaac's steady breathing as he rested one hand round my waist, rubbing his thumb up and down it, his cheek resting against my temple. I would feel every move he made, and every thing he did, which was what really was calming me at this point. He barely even flinched, but when he did, it was to make sure I was okay. That is...until he pointed out a problem.

"Isn't the light on that supposed to be on?" His hand lifted from my waist as he pointed towards the box on the wall. I looked over to the large metal box that would make defon noises to alert us of an an enemy. The color drained my face as I noticed it was, indeed not off and not shining it's bright red. Derek's head jerked up, as Piper and Boyd turned to look at the box as well.

The alpha went alert, his muscles tensing, "Yeah."

Isaac spoke slowly, worry thick in his voice, "What does it mean if it's not?" _It means we have company, and they decided to give us a little surprise. Spoiler alert, they didn't want our shocking one._

"Someone cut the auxiliary power." Derek replied with growing realization. _Wait then that means-_

"What about the main…" Boyd started to say before the lights went out and we were left sitting in the dark.

We all jumped up as Piper cursed, looking around to see if anyone was there. Derek moved forward,walking along the platform Isaac and I were one. Looking down, he let one foot hover over the water as if trying to figure out if he was actually going to it. I got nervous, and reached out, "Derek don't!"

_Too late..._He took the step, but nothing happened, and I looked to Isaac nervously, teasing my bottom lip with my teeth. _Well so much for that plan...what now?_

I watched as Derek moved to the middle of the room and followed him, unwilling to leave him alone. Though I was still able to note how uneasy Isaac was with my decision, his muscles taut as his eyes followed my motions. _Well tough luck Babe...I'm not letting him out of my sight or reach...I've already made that mistake once today._

He spoke up though, voicing what we were all thinking as Derek and I stopped near the table, "Derek... What do we do now?"

I watched as our alpha made turned his eyes, the red irises pointed towards the door, "We fight."

I felt a sigh escape my lips as I fell into into a defensive stance my vision reddening as I shifted for my teeth and claws to lengthen before muttering, "I was afraid you were going to say that…"

I felt Piper move to the other side of Derek while Boyd went to stand next to her and Isaac crouched behind me, his stance protective. _Dude, not now...we are here for __Derek__ not me. Get control of yourself…funny to hear you say that when I recall you acting the same way the night we saved Jackson. Can we focus on our currently problems please? I mean really, we are bout to fight a bitch with claws on her hands __and__ feet and you're gonna criticize past behaviors? _My wolf shrank back a little sheepish, _Right, sorry...someone's cranky just before a fight._

Before I could respond, there was some banging at the door. We all watched as it slid open the creaks and groans of the metal being the only protest. Then came Kali, her ugly toe-claws scraping against the floor. _Seriously woman, I'll even give you the money, just for the love of God go get a pedicure. _I watched Piper tense and step off to the side, making me wonder what she was doing, but crouching down with the others all the same. She was shaking her head at something, but Kali was talking as she came down the steps, unsuppressed glee flashing in her red eyes. _Looks like she might have pink eye the way her eyes are...man pedicure and a doctor's appointment...and maybe some counseling Honey, you just need help...or Jesus, I can't decide. _

"Gonna be honest, Derek. When Ennis died, I thought to myself I'd just go for it. Find you and kill you, wherever you stood." She stopped her movement down the stairs as she looked over at him with contempt, "Then I remembered how you surround yourself with these teenagers," She glared at us, as if we were nothing but insects, "hiding behind them, and I thought, 'what's a girl got to do to get you alone?'" She looked at him in mock thought before turning to the door, causing the twins to appear with a struggling figure. As I looked I was surprised to see-

"_Ms. Blake?_"_ Woman what are you __doing__ here? _I gasped, looking over at her struggling in mostly Aiden's grasp, connecting the dots as to why she would be here. I made a disgusted noise before adding softly, "Oh, god...you've been screwing our English teacher….Gross."

Isaac gave me a look, "Is now really the best time to comment on that, Steph?"

_Easy for you to say-_"You're the one who thinks she's hot…" I muttered while my wolf nodded. _Precisely...though I do think he has a point here...battle royale? Kinda important and __does__ require some level of focus._

Kali continued, thankfully ignoring our comments and looking to Derek, " You and me Derek, or they tear her apart. "What do you say? You think you can beat me one on one?"

I watched as he looked at her, his mind already made up, "Derek don't you dare...you know she's only baiting you." _What's the point of having us here if you're going to push us away and sacrifice yourself? Don't do this, Derek you have a-_

"He has to." Piper said with a growl. "She won't take no for an answer."

I watched him, not moving when he motioned for us to the side with a tilt of his head. Isaac finally moved me away by pulling on my arm, but I still made myself move closest to our leader. Trying to stay calm, Piper leaned against the pillar, positioning herself behind Kali and closer to the twins. Piper shot a look at them but they just shook their heads, refusing to acknowledge the accusation in her gaze._ This must all be so strange for her...fighting people she used to live and be a part of a group with..._ I looked to our teacher nervously as she gazed at Derek in terror. Over his wolfed out appearance or is current danger, I wasn't sure, but I knew one thing. _We have to get her out of here...and soon._

Derek snarled, glaring towards Kali, "I'm gonna rip your throat out," He grinned sinisterly then making me roll my eyes, "with my teeth." _I feel like Stiles has told me a story where you threatened him with that and didn't bode well for you….let's hope it works out better this time. _

And with that, he leapt towards her, crashing a claw down to attack, but she dodged, it spinning behind him and moved to the table. Turning around, she lunged for him, and Derek dodged it, spinning around so that she could take the opportunity to make a lunge, only for him to miss too. They started to circle each other, every time Kali showed up, I moved to go after her, but Isaac would pull me back. I turned as Jennifer grunted, struggling against Ethan and Aiden as they watched in amusement. _Sick and sadistic bastards...I'll take one of you down I swear. _I jumped as Derek snarled, his stomach getting slashed by Kali before she ran off and jumped off a pillar, kicking him in the face. She landed on the table with a crash, Stomping her feet as she avoided swipes made by Derek. Then she caught him with his back turned, kicking between his shoulders.

"Derek!" Ms. Blake and I shouted, fighting against each of our forces as he fell to his stomach. _Grraghh! I feel so useless...needed her more my ass, at this point I could be helping Deaton…or Danny for that matter. _I looked to the side _Or maybe I can help Ms. Blake..._

Kali walked forward as Piper rolled her shoulders, Derek turning into a kneeling position. _Though what is that one leg all straight for? Is this a fashion shoot or a fight! come on Derek think! _With a flick of her foot, Kali sent Derek spiraling through the hair, making him land awkwardly on his legs. This time when Jennifer Screamed, Isaac moved with me to help her, only to stop me as Derek yelled, "NO!"

I kept moving, but Isaac wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me down before turning to Boyd with his other hand out, "Wait!"

I dug into Isaac's arm, trying to pull off of me-_might be more successful if you used your claws that you subconsciously retracted as soon as you started this little endeavor.-_ as Derek and Kali exchanged blows, getting caught in a dual block. After a short struggle for purchase, Derek moved out of it, only for Kali to try again and Derek grabbed each of her arms, blocking her moves. She pulled away with a snarl, kneeing him away by hitting his waist. I felt Isaac's phone buzz and he pulled it out, turning to Boyd.

"Now!" _Does that mean that Cora finally helped after Boyd texted her when this all started? Or that Stiles is here? _My wolf shook her head, _Does it matter? You can fight, GO!_

"It's about damn time!" I snarled and ran forward, Isaac coming behind me as the water slapped away at my bare legs. "You're mine pretty boy!"

I leaped into Aiden while Isaac pulled our teacher to his chest and slid against the door frame. I stood between them, punching and slashing at the alpha teen. Ethan kind of just looked on while Aiden batted away each of my blows, making my efforts seem really childish and silly. A smirk on his face, he grabbed the back of my neck, moving me close to his face. Making sure to look into my glowing eyes, he whispered.

"Come on, little beta, I know you've got more bite than that. Show me how you got those _beautiful _eyes." _Oh he's flirting now? As __if__!_

I snarled in revulsion as I kicked into his side, and clawed at his face, "You don't get to call me _beautiful_ anything."

He backed away from my swipes with a smirk, "Who said I thought you _were?_ I justed need you caught of guard, so that I could do _this._" He pushed me to the floor with a snarl.

I landed just as the red light flicked on. The water started to crackle, catching me, and Boyd in the electrified water with Kali and Derek. _Shit should have seen that coming, now I'm screwed. _I could barely hear him as my own screams of pain forced themselves through my lips, the others melding with them. Isaac's lips formed my name, his eyes wide in worry and shock as I _got _shocked, the bolts forcing their way through my body and making me convulse in pain. I hissed as my dog tags sizzled against my skin, making it burn even more. When the jolts stopped, I could only sit and jerk with the electricity still moving in my body. I finally rolled over after what felt like hours, looking over to see Boyd prone next to Kali while Derek was in front of her. She was standing, how I don't even know, my wolf licking her wounds, and whimpering in pain. She pointed to Derek looking to the twins.

"Take him!" She snarled as they moved forward, moving towards Boyd. _She doesn't even sound like it hurt...which trust me...it __DID__. What is she doing with Boyd? What is-? Screw asking, I need to __do__ something._

Using all the energy I had, I surged forward, leaping onto Aiden's back. I moved to feebly claw into him, but my whole body was jerking and shaking so Aiden was able to just shrug me off, making me land with a thud next to Derek. I watched them the force him into a kneeling position. _Maybe we should've gone after Ethan...at least __he__ looks a little uncertain about all of this and distraction is a weakness. _

I rolled onto my side, lying there uselessly as Kali lifted Boyd up, the twins holding Derek's claws up. _No...oh god no! _My eyes widened as she let go, impaling Boyd's chest onto my alpha's claws. Everything went silent as I looked up at Aiden's look of pure elation and Ethan's look of guilt and uncertainty. Blood was pumping in my ears, pain and guilt boiling in my veins. _Not Boyd...anyone but-_

"No!" Piper shouted, breaking the air with sudden sound but it was too late. She looked at Kali, her pupils blown in shock and growing understanding, "You planned this." She whispered hoarsely, "You were just toying with Derek the entire time." Her hands curled into fists, "Kali…"

"Piper…" I croaked, "Don't...focus on Boyd….help Derek." _Do something, we can't-We can't just let him die._

She looked to me and then to Derek, not sure how or who to help. Shaking her head she focused back on Kali, whispering softly, "Please..Kali...I'll do anything you want...anything. Just." She blinked back tears, "Just don't do this." _No Piper, don't! Don't make us lose you too….this is all just too much..._

Kali looked at her, unfazed by her pleading, "Haven't you already done enough?" She made a tsking sound, and mocking touched Piper's cheek as if to wipe away tears, "Should have stayed with us."

Piper jerked back, before slapping Kali hard across her face. The woman took it, looking down at her with a sneer.

Kali then smirked, walking away, "I'm giving you till the next full moon, Derek. Make the smart choice. Join the pack…" She turned towards us, Ethan looking down at me sadly, as Aiden gave me a sinister looking wink, "Or next time I'm killing all of you."

I groaned, spitting towards Aiden's retreating form, "You are going to die badly, you sick bastard."

He stiffened, turning back to look at me with a wink, _This whole toying/ flirting thing needs to stop...__now__. If I wasn't in shock, and hurting and maybe even dying a little bit, I would rip your throat out. _"I'll be looking forward to seeing you _try_." He walked up the steps, pausing to sneer at Isaac, "Hell of a girl you have, Squirt. I'd keep an eye on her if I were you. That pretty of mouth of hers could get her in trouble...or worse: taken away by someone else." _What the hell was that supposed to mean?_

Isaac glared at him as he went down the way, pushing Jennifer away and looking to me with concern.I shook my head to move the sentiment away, pulling myself over to Derek and Boyd. _Not now...I'm not important right now…Boyd..._ Piper fell to her knees beside me. My eyes were watering in pain and sorrow as Derek retracted his claws, panicking as he tried to staunch the bleeding. I helped, placing my own shaking hands over Derek's. _We can fix him we can...we just have to stop the bleeding, we can-_

Boyd groaned, looking down at us, "It's okay."

Derek shook, panting as he tried not to cry, "No, no. No, it's not. It's not."

"It's not okay, Boyd…" I sobbed, my pain forgotten as we tried to hold him upright.

"It's all okay, Derek….Steph." His eyes were going inward as the bleeding got worse.

_Oh god...oh god._ My breathing hitched in my throat as Derek spoke up again, "I'm... l'm sorry."

There was another soft groan of pain before he spoke again, "The full moon. That feeling…" He looked down to Derek, "That was worth it. There's a lunar eclipse. I always wondered what... What that felt like for one of us." His voice fell to a whisper, "For a werewolf…"

I felt my hands drop as he fell limp, tears streaming down my face. _No not Boyd no! He was the constant, the rock! He helped me make my first real bedroom look like a home...he gave my first best friend her first love...he gave Isaac his first real friend and Derek a companion. All he wanted was to not sit alone anymore, but he provided so much more than that...And now he's-_ I sobbed watching Derek drop him to the ground, _He's with Erica now...I've lost another friend...another member of the pack. I just sat there and watched him die._

Meanwhile Piper made a grab at Boyd, frantically ripping off her sweater as if to stop the bleeding, her sweater falling uselessly from her hands as she whispered, looking at me with desperation, "Stephanie... fix him." She sniffed, tears on her face, "Fix him like you fixed me because-" She choked, my heart breaking for her. _I can't...Piper, I'm sorry...I can't it's too- _"because he - he doesn't deserve to die not now, not like this.." Falling forward, her body hunched over our dead friend, her hands pressing on his wounds - "She killed him."

"I can't...I can't…" I cried, sobbing over his body, "I'm sorry, Piper...So so sorry…" I looked to my hands, seeing the blood that always found it's way there. _I'm sure you can see the blood on my hand Piper...it's there forever now. I will constantly be stained by those I've failed. The list is ever growing and I can't stop it. _

We were suddenly both pushed aside, Cora holding his face and crying even worse than me and Piper _As if that were possible...we're falling apart. Though she did spend three months trapped alone with him. She needs this..she needs to be here. I need..I need to get-_

I stood up numbly, turning to look at Derek who was shaking, Stiles holding his shoulder. All of the cajoling and comforting was getting to be stifling. It was too much and too little all at once. _Where was Scott, where was Deaton...did Danny make it out okay? Are we the only ones to fail? Why are we all just sitting there? _I slowly made my way over to the stairs, limping awkwardly as the pain of his death and my fight against Aiden sent jolts through me with every move I made. Lydia was leaning against the door, a look of shock on her face as she looked on at the sight. Isaac looked over at me, but I shook my head, holding my hand out for my teacher. My hands shaking and Boyd's blood thick on my fingers. _The blood from when you failed. Failed to see. Failed to protect. Failed to save him..._

"Come on, Ms. Blake...let's get you home."

"Stephanie, are you sure you don't want to be-" She looked at Isaac for help, but I shook my head, my face bland and my eyes probably looking as dead as my voice sounded.

"Trust me, the last place I need to be is here…" _I can't be here anymore...I need to get out of here...I need to go._

_I can't stand to look at yet another failure I've made to protect the ones I love._

I took her hand and got her a cab. And then I ran. I ran to find Boyd….because wherever that boy was, to all of us runaways, we felt like we were home.

* * *

_Well...that was a sad, sad, sad, SAD, chapter to write...I need to go eat some ice cream and watch something happy…Hope you liked and keep reading. _

_Thanks as always for reading, _

_~Gwen_


	13. Recovery and Unexplained Meetings

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_We're here to protect you." "Someone want to explain to me why she's here?"_

"_He is right. I don't blame him for not accepting my change of heart. I wouldn't either if I was in his place. The point is I am not asking to join your pack, nor am I asking you to trust me. But I am apologizing. I never meant for any of this to get as bad as it did. That all being said you need our, my, help in order to stop Kali."_

"_You're stuck trying to figure out who to save and instead of being mad at the people who make you choose, your pissed you even have to choose."_

"_Steph are you okay?" "Oh yea, I'm fine, I'm just stuck in a small strip of room with three other people while Derek, Danny, my boss, and quite possibly all of my friends are in danger while waiting for a crazy woman who is a possibility of my future to come after Derek for killing her mate."_

"_We fight." "NO BOYD!" _

_.I've lost another friend...another member of the pack. I just sat there and watched him die. I failed him...another name on an every growing list._

* * *

_Chapter 13: Recovery and unexplained meetings_

_He's gone…._

_ Boyd's dead…_

_ I failed to protect him…_

I stumbled down the steps of the substation, glad that we'd kept the place. It had been my place to go to in order to regain Boyd or Erica's scents. The dog tags felt heavy around my neck, the names seared into my skin as the final wounds of the night left me. Instead they jolted themselves straight into my heart, making it jitter and tug at my chest. Though the stairs had finally been mastered, I was then forced to find my old cart. The one where Boyd first teased me about the possibility of me and Isaac mating. Where he had teased me and Isaac for our PDA, or where he'd helped me to make my first home that made me feel safe. I hadn't been as comfortable around him then and I regret that now more than anything. With a sob, I made my way to the bed, pulling away at the plastic coverings with my claws. _Steph? Steph hun, you need to snap out of it...you need to talk to someone. You need…._

"I need you to go away…" I spat. "I need to be alone in my failure."

It had been hours since I'd left. Left behind Boyd, left behind Derek, Left behind Piper. I had left everyone behind. Making sure that my teacher had gotten home safely by following her cab home and then running. Oh how I ran. I ran away from my pain, my guilt. I ran away from my desires to be comforted, replacing it with this tearing in my chest. _It's all my fault...all my fault…I wasn't looking, I let him out of my sight...out of sight and out of reach...I was too worried about Derek and his little girlfriend to remember that Kali had pulled the same stunt the night our plan to kill Deucalion went ary. She had given him the choice of him or Cora….oh god Cora...I failed to protect the one person she cared about outside of Derek. What am I going to do._I fell to the bed, soaking the pillow in tears and apologies, unable to do anything. else. I closed my eyes and found solace in sleep, one final thought filling my head.

_I'm so sorry Boyd. I've failed you._

I woke up a few hours later to the sound of Stiles' voice overhead. I was still curled into a ball, but somehow the blankets had made themselves around me, the bed bigger and softer. Turning I looked up to see I was in the Mccall's house, Isaac pacing the length of his room. He was who the phone with Stiles' voice which is how I woke up. I listened to his voice crack, my body numb as my wolf tried to talk to me.

_**Did you find her? Please tell me you found her because Piper just showed up at my door and she's not with her...I can't- I can't think straight until she's home. But at least if she's with you, I know she's safe.**_

"Yeah..."Isaac sighed, looking down at me, his eyes bleary and glazing over as he saw that I was finally awake, but not responding to anything around me, _He looks about as bad as you feel...you had him worried sick._"Yeah, I found her...She was at the substation, it was where she would go when she got upset about Erica or Boyd...it's where she's always felt more connected to them. She even made her dog tags out of metal from the subway car we spend our first full moon as a pack." _Yea and then they burned into me to remind of not one, but two friends I've failed and lost._

He turned his back to me, fear in his voice, "But I don't know what to do, she's been asleep for hours, crying and screaming. Melissa and Scott don't know what to do and she-" He choked on a sob, twisting at my heart,_ well then do something! Say something! React! _"She keeps saying she's sorry and that she failed and begging him for forgiveness." He sighed, "Stiles, what do I do?" _You can let me fade...save yourself before I fail you too. _Stiles

_**Well then comfort her, hold her. **_There was a pause. _**Something**__**. Aren't you supposed to be her mate? I mean how'd you even **__**find**_ _**her? I had looked everywhere for both of them. **_

He sighed falling to the bed, running a hand through his hair, _Respond, let him hold you, let him in…._He started to cry, talking into the phone, "You think I'm not _trying? _I don't know what to do, every time I try to hold her or comfort her, she twists away, or starts to scream. Hell, she even attacked me a couple of times!" _I did?when did I-?_ It's like she doesn't even _want_ to be comforted."

I slipped back to sleep, not wanting to hear what Stiles had to say. _It's because I failed to save your friend, Isaac...I tore away one of the very few people you cared about. I don't __deserve_ _comfort, I __need__ you to hate me...I __want__ you to hate me. It'll make everything easier..._

_ Because I failed to protect him…_

_ And I need to make sure I don't fail anyone else…_

The next time I woke up it was to Isaac's arms around me, the room smelling literally of blood, sweat, and tears. _You know as funny as that would normally be, it makes me pretty worried. _When I looked up, I saw that he was looking at me with large circles under his eyes and scratches on his face. _Baby, I did this to you, why are you doing this….why are you helping me when you saw what I let happen. What I'm doing to you... Just leave it's safer..._

"Isaac...you need to go away." I said, my voice cracking with emotion. "You need to get as far away from me as possible. I won't let you talk me out of it this time."

He snorted, making me look at him, "Stephanie McGrath you are the _craziest _person I know if you think I'll leave you when you need me most."

"I _need_ for you to _go_ Isaac." I insisted, pushing at his chest. "You need to run away from me! I'm a wrecking ball, a destroyer of lives! GET AWAY!" I sat up trying to make him leave to make him understand. Screaming for him to understand. "GET OUT OF HERE, GET AWAY FROM ME!" I paused whispering, "It's for your own good."

"No...I won't Steph, I love you, and I won't give up on helping you until you realize that it's not yours or Derek's or Pipers fault for what happen. It was all Kali! You need to get out of the guilt trip! It wasn't _your fault_."

"You think I don't _know_ that you love me? Do you think that just because I haven't _said_ it, I _don't_ love you?" I finally pushed him off, standing at the foot of the bed, "It's _because I love you _that you need to go away. I love you." I felt a tear slip down my cheek, "But ultimately I will fail you...it is my biggest flaw. I kill and destroy all that I love…" _Like Josh. Like my father. Like my mother. Like Boyd and Erica..._

Isaac stood up, his shirt scratched to hell, and dried blood showing in scratches on his chest. My hands flew to cover my mouth. _Oh god what have I done? My beautiful love... My Isaac..._"Don't you see, Steph? Pushing me _away_ is what is destroying me…" He fell to his knees, sobbing as he looked up at me, "Steph…you are the only thing I have _ever_ loved that _hasn't_ hurt me. So stop thinking that you will and just _let me back in._ Let me help you." _Don't you see? I'm already doing it to you... I'm killing you._

I fell to the floor, "But I failed them...I failed Boyd, I failed Erica…" I cried, falling into his chest, "I don't want to fail and lose you too."

He held me close, sobbing with me, "So long as you never shut me out like that again...you won't." I let him hold me then, feeling a sort of happiness come back into my heart, a warmth that wasn't there when I went through this. "I thought I was going to lose you to yourself."

Seconds turned to minutes, turned to hours, and we just sat there, crying into each others arms as we both started to long road to the recovery of losing your friends to war. And it was then that I realized, that it was me being too afraid to love that made me fail those around me.

* * *

It had been two days since Kali's attack, and none of us had heard from Derek. After we'd buried the teen and paid our respects, our leader had left, a wounded look in his eyes. Losing him had hit him even harder than Erica had. Though I suppose that's to be expected when your beta's blood is no longer just metaphorically on your hands. I mean Piper and I had both gone through our sense of loss and guilt. If it hadn't been for Isaac and Stiles, we'd still be there. Boyd had hit all of us fairly hard, but two days had us all of us redirecting our pain into worry for our Alpha. So we decided to do something about it and went to the loft to find him.

We, being myself, Piper, and Stiles. Isaac was finally getting some sleep after helping me not suffer from reliving that night over and over again, While Scott was off with Allison getting information from Gerard. _Yea who knew that Papa Argent had him locked away in some medical facility choking on his mountain ash sickness. _So after meeting up at the Stilinski house, we went the loft in hopes of finding him there so that we could try to help him. Or at least that was Stiles and I's motivation, something tells me Piper would rather of just beat some sense into him, since she's bottling up her own mourning for the silent soldier.

The girl instead went into some weird and seemingly unrelated story, that I blocked out until I heard Stiles speak up again from his pacing along side me. _This whole twinning/ sibling similar behavior things needs to stop...I don't know about you, but it's freaking me out. _I ignored my wolf's whining and focused on what he had to say.

"Okay, so is two days standard, then, or are we thinking Derek's on, like, some extended getaway?" _Heh, good one, Little Red...ah great, you have __me_ _calling him that now...curse you and your witty nicknames..._

Cora turned from her spot at the window, the alpha's symbol slowly washing away in the rain, "Why do you care?" She looked to me and Piper, who had been leaning against a pillar with an distracted look on her face. "Why do _any_ of you care?"

Stiles looked at her in shock. "Why do I care? Let's see... because over the last few weeks, all three of my best friend's tried to kill themselves. Thier boss nearly got ritually sacrificed. A girl that I've known since I was three _was_ ritually sacrificed. Piper nearly got killed by the alphas and Boyd _was_ killed by alphas. I... do you want me to keep going? 'Cause I can, alright? " He finished his little speech along with the pacing and gesturing he accentuated it with. He stood there, glaring as he rose his, "For, like, an hour.'

I stepped forward, giving him time to calm down, "I get that you're worried, but you don't need to lash out. Derek's important to us too, okay? He took me in when I had no one else. I'd have thought you of all people would understand that being a Hale on the run the past six years." I sighed, not wanting to get into a fight. "I just want to make sure he's okay."

Cora looked to me for a minute before nodding slightly and turning to Stiles, "You think Derek can do anything about that?"

Stiles started pacing again, "Well, since he's the one everyone seems to be after, it's more like he should do something about it, yeah."

Cora leaned against the table with a sigh, "I don't know. There's something different about him now." she shook his head, "He wasn't like this when we knew him."

Stiles stopped, hand on his hips, "What was he like?" he asked at the same time I asked, "Who's we?"

As if to answer both of our questions, the absolute _last_ person I wanted to see, which was saying something since I hadn't been thrilled about the prospect of talking to Cora either, walked down the spiral stairs from where I used to sleep. _Where Isaac and I used to sleep...speaking off...when was the last time I talked to him? I mean we had lunch together today, but he seemed off. Though that could just be that his best friend just died._

Peter paused, about halfway down the steps, turning his head to the side, "A lot like Scott, actually." _Huh...that explains a lot…_He continued down the steps as Stiles moved towards him, "A lot like most teenagers... unbearably romantic, profoundly narcissistic, tolerable really only to other teenagers." He stood next to Cora at the table. _Great two of my least favorite people in one room...lucky me..._

Stiles was about to say something when Piper spoke up, "Wait a second I'm sorry," She pointed to Peter, "So _you_ are Peter Hale. You aren't quite what I expected." _Oh god really do we have to do this now? I would rather he __not__ hear what I think about him today...not when I need him._

Peter asked with slight curiosity, "What did you expect?"

Her lips curved into her signature smirk of pure mischief, _That smirk has gotten us into trouble more than one occasion..._ "Well for one thing I didn't think you would be so hot." She gave me a chiding look, as if I had poorly prepared her while I was trying not to gag. I mean sure, the guy was good looking, but he was inwardly a vile and completely unappealing person.

"The way you were made out to be I thought you were some he-man with wild hair, yellow fangs, and that smelled like a trailer park." _Yes...I did that on purpose. If you developed an interest in him, then I would have to actually spend __time__ with him or worse...be __civil__. _

Peter said with a suffering sigh, "My dear... I am sorry to disappoint you and ruin your delusional picture of me." _Oh my...and now they are exchanging snark...not good not good! Stiles, save us!_

She shrugged clearly not put off by the snarkiness in his comment, _I mean really with the zingers she's thrown lately, I'm not surprised. _"Can I ask you a question?"

Peter nodded. "If you must." _NO! NO, why would you give her permission you twit?!_

"Do I look yummy to you?" Peter's eyebrows shot up in amusement while my jaw dropped in shock, "I ask because you were also portrayed like the big bad wolf." She paused eyeing him speculation. _Stop that...stop it say! _ "And since the big bad wolf always wanted to eat people I'd figured I'd ask to make sure I don't look appealing to you." _And she didn't stop…_ Adding with a wicked look, "Not that I would mind if I did."

Peter and I just stared at her, not quite sure how to respond. Suddenly the man just started bursting into laughter, which on it's own was creepy and unsettling, but then, after he composed himself, made it worse shaking his head and grinning, "I think you and I are going to get along quite nicely." _And this is why I delayed this meeting. I was afraid this would happen._

She snorted, "We will see."

Stiles cut in sharply, saving me from any further interaction between the two, "I hate to intrude on your little meet and greet but we did come here for a reason." He glared at Piper, making her hold up her hands in mock surrender.

"Right. Please continue. I won't say anything else." She stating making me hold my hand up as if to thank the sky for such an event. _A little dramatic, don't ya think...well actually it __is__ Peter._

"Thank _God_." I sighed, once again twinning with Stiles as I glared at Peter. _If it wasn't for the fact that we look nothing alike, I'd say we were secret siblings...that and the fact that I have a twin._ Pushing the thought away, I spoke to the Hale, contempt dripping in my tone, "So yea, Hale, give us what we need so I can leave you alone to _preen _in your family's most recent tragedy."

"Wow she really doesn't like you." Piper commented, sounding slightly impressed with my sass, _Well he does bring out the worst in you..._"What did you do to her?"

"Honestly I don't know. I am not that bad of a guy…" He tried to look innocent, but it just looked misplaced on his face. _Yea Peter Hale is about as Innocent as Hannibal lecter...and probably about as sane too._

"Says the guy who killed his own niece to become an alpha and subsequently tried to kill his nephew just for kicks." I deadpanned, cutting him down as well as providing backstory for Piper, "It's really such a _shock_ that I don't like or trust you. I mean, what's _not to like_?" _You mean besides __everything__?_

"I can't say. I think I have a sparkling personality." He replied indifferently.

Piper tried not to laugh, but failed miserably, speaking on his behalf, "He is definitely my kind of guy. Has humor and everything with a touch of unnecessary attitude." _Oh dear god what have I done...I __knew_ _that we should have just let Stiles come do this by himself..._

"Guys! The topic? Can we _please_ get back to it at some point?" Stiles groused, "If it were even possible, I want to be here less than Steph does." _Yea right._

"Highly unlikely, but I'll blame it on our creepy twinning we've been doing lately." I tilted my head in mock thought, "Though if Cora's around, I might still beat you to- Oh wait! She _is_, though she's looking _very_ lovely today considering everything." I gave her a fake smile, figuring the hell with it, if I'm going to insult one, I might as well insult the other. I winked for an added effect as I added, "Don't worry, Isaac's not going to be here, so I should be more _bearable_ than normal."

Piper opened her mouth to say something when Cora glared at me, but I glared at the raven haired girl in turn, making her stop and turn to Cora instead, "So… not in danger of dying anymore? All better?"

"Better enough to not trust you." She snapped. _Oh dear...this can't be good. _ "You may have _them _fooled" She glanced contemptuously at me, though with my last comment, I suppose I deserved it, adding, "Which _isn't _that hard, but you don't have me believing you for a second." _Oh...ouch. That was uncalled for...mine weren't __that__ bad...were they?_

"Now that is just mean." Came dry comment in response, "Someone is a little cranky from the whole dying thing…" I paused adding with fake innocence, "Not that I can blame you… if you knew how to fight and therefore fought better that whole situation could have been avoided."

"Question," I said, giving Piper a small smile as she set me up perfectly, "Which time are we talking about here?"

Stiles face palmed, clearly fed up with our antics, _Not that I blame him...this is getting a little too childish for me..._"I'm surprised the two of you get _anything_ done together if this is what it's like…For the love of God."

Piper pouted pretending to look hurt, "Well I know whose side you are on." She blew him a kiss, "I'll remember that in the future."

"So the winning side?" Cora teased, an eyebrow arched as she looked at us, in a pretentious manner. _Oh can it sister, we all know he's doing this so you and your uncle don't end up killing us. Well Peter might not go after Piper, but he'll probably rough me up for a bit after all the button pushing I've done since the day he helped Isaac..._

"Children." We all turned to look at Peter. "Not that I'm not enjoying this little game you _pups_ are playing…" He looked pointedly at Stiles, me, and then stopped at Piper, "But is there a reason you graced me with your presence today?"

"Actually I just came along for the ride." Piper explained helpfully, giving him a quick once over. "It was these two," She motioned with a hand towards me and Stiles,_ well actually it was just Stiles, but he was too scared to leave me alone and Isaac needed a break so he could get some sleep..._ "who wanted to talk to you about your missing in action little nephew -" She paused, her attention diverting to look at her phone when it vibrated. She pocketed her phone quickly, saying, "Well guys. I hate to cut this short but I am needed elsewhere after all."

"Wait is something wrong?" I asked confused. _Did you seriously think I would let you leave after what happened a couple of days ago?_

She shrugged, "Nope, nothing that I can't handle."

"Piper…that's _not_ what I asked." I said, frowning.

"I'll catch up with you guys later." She proclaimed then cheerfully, ignoring my comment. She turned towards Peter and grinned, "It was nice meeting the mysterious Hale." Cocking an eyebrow, she added mischievously, "I hope I get to see you again -" She paused thoughtfully, "Maybe we can get coffee sometime."

"Uhh -" Peter started only to be cut off when she rattled off her cell number looking completely wicked.

"Hope you have a good memory." She challenged with a wink before turning and walking away.

She was closing the door when Peter spoke, "Well that was unexpected…" He started slowly, "The little Alpha just hit on me…" I saw her peeking in with a grin on her face, "Did she just ask me out?" Peter inquired with amusement. I heard her laughing as she walked away.

"Well if she did, I don't want to hear about it if you accept." I scrunched my face in disgust, "Especially since I don't even know how old you are…" I turned to Stiles. "Keys to the Jeep please."

He looked at me like I was a freak, "You seriously think I'm going to let you out of my sight after your disappearing act the other night? I'm already looking for _one _person, I don't need to anticipate looking for _two. _You just started to talk and move around again, let's not push it."

"Okay, there _Dad..._why would I ask for your Jeep if I was planning on disappearing?" I smirked, knowing I got him. "Besides, I was asking to be nice..I already have a key minted, so I could just go now and leave you stranded."

He glared at me, Cora and Peter looking on amused, "Stephanie Anne you aren't going anywhere, if I can't keep an eye on Piper the _least_ I can do is watch over you."

"Well considering that you are _not_ Isaac _or _my father, I'm going to go. You can try to stop me but it won't end well." I snapped at the use of my middle name, but softened, "I just need to go for a ride, Red...I can't sit still right now."

I turned and left, catching Piper in the lobby, "Hey, where do ya think you're going?"

She turned with a slight scowl, but turned it into a raised eyebrow when she saw it was me, "I told you, it's nothing I can't handle."

"Well if you think you're going alone, you're mistaken." I smiled shaking my eyes, "Come on, I'll drive."

I had made it halfway across the parking lot by the time she finally realized I was going off with or without her. Which I had to say was amusing, since I had worn the suede heels again with a pair of mid-rise shorts with floral lace on the legs. I liked the way they looked with the beige arrow head muscle tank and the grey cardigan I was wearing, but I was also wearing it as a reminder of Boyd and where I failed before. _I'm not going to let Piper get hurt by not going with her._

* * *

**From Isaac 3**

** What's this I hear about you and Piper running of? Where are you? Is everything okay?**

Grimacing I looked at the text from Isaac, debating whether or not I should reply. As it was, I was, Piper had me hiding. Well, actually she had told me to stay in the car, but that made me uneasy so I had moved behind the Beacon Hills High School sign while she stood at the small wall. I let him know that I read it, but wasn't going to reply, keeping an eye out for whatever my friend was waiting for. She swung her legs swung back and forth as she waited, looking back and forth impatiently. _What are you up to, Pipes… don't make me worried. As it is we're at school on a Sunday... _My head tilted to the side, the glare of Piper's Aviators flashing in the corner of my eye. _Who are you waiting for..._

In the distance I could hear the roar of a bike's engine, the louder it got the more uneasy I became because it didn't sound like just one bike, which meant…

_Piper is meeting up with the Twins…_

* * *

_Dun Dun DUUUUUNN! So this and the next chapter are what I'm doing instead of Visionary. To set up for important things later, however, we needed Piper to actually __meet__ peter, so that's why they were there, that and you know there were a little rough after Boyd...anyway. Hope it's not too out of sync or disorienting!_

_Thanks for reading, let me know that you think!_

_~Gwen_


	14. Fighting and Lies

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_But I failed them...I failed Boyd, I failed Erica…" I cried, falling into his chest, "I don't want to fail and lose you too." _

"_Come on, little beta, show my how you got those beautiful eyes."_

_This whole fighting/ flirting thing Aiden was up to needs to stop._

_"So you are Peter Hale. You aren't quite what I expected."_

_I am sorry to disappoint you and ruin your delusional picture of me."_

"_You seriously think I'm going to let you out of my sight after your disappearing act the other night? I'm already looking for one person, I don't need to anticipate looking for two. You just started to talk and move around again, let's not push it." _

"_Well I'm going and if you try to stop me, it won't end well." _

_Why is Piper is meeting up with the Twins?_

* * *

_Chapter 14: Fighting and lies_

_The twins? _

_ The __Twins?!_

_ Why the __hell__ is she talking to the __Twins__?! _

As the bikes came into sight I pushed myself against the sign, thankful that they came from the other side of the parking lot. I rolled my eyes as one of them spun in a circle before they came to a stop in the front. _That one must be Aiden...cocky son of a- Now now...give them a chance, if Piper trusts you, so you should give them the benefit of the doubt. _That was very unlikely, but I remained still as I studied the twins while they walked towards us. Unaffected by Aiden's grin or Ethan's resigned look Piper kept her voice casual when she addressed them.

"Should I be expecting Kali and Deucalion to join this little party or is it just you two?" _Oh god..why are you worried this was a trap...were you expecting someone else. _She added dryly, "I'm just asking since I wasn't expecting -" She looked over to Aiden, "him. So I would rather not have any more surprises." _I see, so it's only Ethan she's 'with'...well he did seem highly uncertain the other night, and even looked at us guiltily as he left. His brother on the other hand, was playing around and flirting for fun.._After a minute or two she looked at them expectantly, prompting with a "Well?"

"It was Ethan's idea to ask you to come." Aiden shrugged. "Not sure why. It isn't like -" Ethan glared at him and Aiden mock frowned, _What is going on…._"I just came along to make sure you didn't kick his that you can kick his ass anyway." _And there goes that stupid cocky attitude of his…How I'd love to-_"So I guess I am here just because I missed you and your snarkiness."

Piper blew a raspberry at him, snorting at his laughter. I felt my anger flaring as I stood still. _What the __hell__ are you doing? You are not only talking to the enemy, but you're being __friendly__?!_ Almost as if she heard me, Piper spoke up with a snotty, "whatever." before tilting her head to the side, "Now that I don't actually have to be civil to Aiden," _Okay well, clearly she isn't with him..._"Why am I here Ethan?" _Yea Ethan, do tell us why we're here?_

"Yes Ethan.. why are we here?" Aiden inquired with a strained toned. I bit my lip nervously..._Why would aiden sound nervous...that's not good. _"If Deucalion found out we were talking to the traitor…" He let his words trail off making me realized, _Duke doesn't know where they are right now...well I hope they are as good at fighting alphas as they are beating up Betas. If not? Bye-bye pretty boy and Hell-oo peace of mind. _

"Are you _scared _Aiden?" I tsked, "I didn't think _big strong_ Alphas like _you_ got scared, even if the Demon Wolf would be on your ass." I grinned with her when he growled at her threateningly, "Oh no." she pouted, "Did I just say something you didn't like?" I smiled at her comment "Tough love little boy." _Damn girl. This is primo entertainment, Aiden looks about ready to burst. _It was true, as he stepped forward Ethan grabbed for him and pulled him back, giving me a stern look. I laughed quietly, as she smiled innocently. "What?"

"Just knock it off." Ethan snapped irritated, giving Piper and his twin a look if disappointment. _Please tell me he's not going to try and make her be __nice__...then I'll have no fun…_"Can you two just play nice for five minutes…" _I hope not._

"No." Aiden and Piper said at the same time before glaring at each other. _That's more like it. _

"Okay fine." Ethan sighed, "Then I guess I can't tell you -" _Tell her what?_

"Tell me what?" She snapped as I thought it, both of us getting aggravated.

I watched as Piper ran a hand through her hair giving away her-and my own- frustration. Tapping her foot against the 'B' in Beacon Hills, she engaged the twins in a staring contest. Eventually her eye twitched and she was forced to blink which ultimately made her lose the contest. _Man...I was hoping Aiden would lose...I was even ready to throw a rock. _Aiden rolled his eyes as we both cursed in annoyance. _I just really need to be careful no one finds me…_

"So…" Piper started, "Will one of you tell me why I was dragged out here - " She shuddered as she looked to the school, "of all places? I get enough of the place as it is…" _Even when she's annoyed, she can whine about school..._

"Agreed. I hate high school…" Aiden contributed with a suffering look. _Of course you do, it's not like you go to class anyway...wait why would I know that? Why would I pay __attention__ to that..._ "Let's just tell her and get this over with." He suggested, turning towards Ethan and motioning with his hands for the other to speak. _Yes please, I'm getting tired of crouching like this...it's not very comfortable. _

"Hold that thought." Piper said suddenly, _Wait, what is she, _She raised her voice calling out, "You can come out now Steph." _Aaand we just got busted...your disdain got too loud, you idiot, way to go! _

I stretched my back out, leaves rustling as I looked over at the twins with a fixed glare. I adjusted my shirt as she added,"It isn't a trap. They actually want to talk." I rolled my eyes not listening to her, but walking over to stand next to her. She turned back to her 'friends,' "Okay. Continue."

"Is this your backup?" Aiden smirked. _I could take you any day now, dude…You had me at an emotionally conflicted time, _"Nice to see you again Coppertone." _And he's back to the flirting, gross. _His gaze travelled over her, making my skin crawl, but also feeling slightly complimented, "It's nice to see you back to your normal coppery self… those burns on your body were unattractive as hell - to say the least." Piper curled her lips into a silent snarl, but I held a hand up.

"Oh well, to that charming piece of half-witted chivalry, I would go to say that it's great you got that over compensating cockiness out of the way, but-" I looked him up and down pointedly, "It would seem you're still working on that. I mean really honey, isn't the bike enough?"

Piper snorted to cover a laugh at the comment while Ethan looked at Aiden nervously. We both didn't really care though since we were too busy staring at each other. I felt my hands clench into fists, my blood boiling just at the sight of him, my face reddening. Our stare off was called to an end however when he smirked, giving me another one of those winks.

"Well, perhaps, but if you want to compare to your little mate sometime, I'm sure Piper would be happy to give you my number."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh really? Would that be before or _after_ you're done sneaking around with Lydia? I mean, I wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes, or mess with anyones _orders_."

Piper looked at me warningly, but I was on a roll, "Wouldn't want your ringleader to think you're a _traitor_ now would he?"

Aiden took a step forward, but Ethan stopped him, giving Piper a glare. "Can you keep your little _friend_ in line, Piper?"

"I could…" She replied thoughtfully, "But I'm having way too much fun watching her knock you flat on your ass." _Is this permission? Am I __allowed__ to just - _"However entertained I am at the moment… someone better start telling me why I - I mean we- are here soon or I really will get bitchy."

"I mean seriously, Alpha twins, I've been getting bored from my spot behind the sign…Ethan had to go and talk away all the fun by stopping Aiden from getting school by Piper." I gave him a bitchy smile, before looking to Ethan. " So talk."

"Well Piper's not the only one to get bitchy huh, Coppertone." Aiden said, with an equally cocky smile.

"Okay…" Ethan cleared his throat, looking like he was regretting this meeting all too much. "Can I talk to Piper in private for a second while you two go over there...and continue doing...whatever you're doing…"

Piper looked at me and I nodded, _we can totally take him. _"Okay, well you two play nice now…"

"Oh, don't worry," Aiden said, his eyes never leaving mine, "I don't bite..._hard_."

My eyes narrowed to slit, "As if you could even get close enough to _try." _

Piper and Ethan shared a look, shaking their heads before going into the school.

* * *

After they left we sort of just stood there, glaring at each other and trying to gauge what they were doing. It had even started to pour, but neither of us moved, not sure if we should attack, or just keep up the tit for tat we had going on. All that I could think about was how angry and worked up he made me. _I mean really what is up with all the flirting? What could possibly make me want anything to do with him? Not to mention the fact that I was __mated__ with someone they have __tortured__. _

My phone suddenly buzzed, making my look away, losing our unsaid contest. Looking down I noticed that it was Isaac. I groaned, answering it while Aiden looked at me amused. _Oh don't look so smug. You- _

"Hello?"

_**Oh thank God! Where are you? I've called and look everywhere I could think of. And is that rain I hear.**_

"I-uh…" I looked to Aiden, who was being very obvious in his eavesdropping, a smirk on his face, _God it's like it's stamped on there. _"I'm just going for a drive...I even had to pull over so that I could talk to you. What you hear is the rain hitting the roof of the jeep." I closed my eyes, avoiding looking at my enemy. _Why are we lying to him?_

_**Oh...well are you doing okay? **__why does he have to be so trusting? NOw I feel even worse than if I had actually attacked Aiden earlier._

"Yea, I'm fine...the better question is how are you?" I looked into the phone sadly, "I know I've been keeping you up all night the past couple of days...did you get the sleep that Stiles and I told you go get?"

_**Yeah, I just got up around when I texted you...Though I have to say, I'm kinda worried you didn't reply. **_

I took in a deep breath, "It was just because I didn't want to crash. I'm sorry…"

_**Well if Piper's with you why didn't you just have her text back...or even answer the phone for you. **_

"Well you see, that's because…." I cursed myself, _yea way to figure out the holes in your lie don't fall into it. _"She's asleep in the backseat...Yea. I just let her take a nap and figured that you needed a break from worrying so I pulled over to answer the call." _And yet she just skates on by...where were all these skills in improvisation whenever you wanted to be __with__ him? _

_**Okay, well I'm glad you're okay.**_

"And now I need to know that you are. So please just go relax okay? I don't want you to feel like you have to wait up for me to be back. I'll call you when I catch up with Stiles."

_**Alright, I love you Puffin.**_

"And I you...Okay...I'll see you later." I hung up, looking over at Aiden through the downpour. "Oh, what do you want…"

He shrugged, "Nothing really, I just find it really interesting that you would lie to you mate and then on top of that, you returned his declaration of with 'and I you'." He motioned those three words with his hands. "Seems very different from that time not so long ago when you were rushing to help him only to get…" He smiled gesturing to himself, "Very understandably distracted."

"Yeah maybe that's because normal relationships are more complicated than ones that are all about sex." I shot back, not wanting to get into why I was still afraid to say I loved my mate outside of when I was upset about Boyd's death. _And you aren't going to say anything about him distracting you? _"I'm sure the girls you sleep with just _rush_ to tell you they love you, I mean you _are_ just a distraction." _Oh okay...guess that works_

"Well at least my relationships _have_ sex. Whenever I _want _it." He said, making me wince. "As I recall there was a fairly extended period of time where had someone offered, I'm sure you would have jumped _anyone's _bones." He gave me another once over, crossing his arms.

"Oh please, if that was your way of saying I was so desperate for sex, I would have slept with _you_ don't forget that every time that you tortured Isaac, I felt it. Not exactly what I look for in a partner." _Oh that attitude...I hated it on Isaac, what makes me think I would it on you?_

"Did that include the chills that would spread all over your body when I dragged a claw down his back?" He winked, "Something tells me you like it rough." _Okay...that one got me for a second..._

"You would never get to know, I don't like to date or fraternize with _murderers_." _what is this? Why the hell are we doing this weird battle or flirtation thing? You are just boosting his ego and getting yourself even more worked up. _"Nor do I have to be _ordered_ into my relationships."

He surged forward, pushing us to the wall, "Well then it's a good thing you can't date a reflection, huh blue eyes? As for orders, well that just means I don't have to worry about being too invested and getting calls where I have to _lie _to my partner."

I snarled, making my eyes flash _I'll show you blue eyes. _"Better blue then the red that would symbolize the blood of your pack." I spat, "I mean, how did you do it? I doubt your little brother even lifted a finger, he's far too innocent to have killed that many people, so as far as lying goes, I would say that though we are both black, you are the pot to my kettle." _uh...okay, what was that supposed to mean?_

He tilted his head to the side, "Well at least I don't' have any delusions about him. I mean really, if you don't fraternize with murders, what _is _Piper to you, huh?" He looked at me with a pitiful expression, "You see miss pot, at least my kettle doesn't lie to itself to make it feel better." _Hmmm got you there. _

"She was a girl who had no choice." I snarled. _No now I get to play semantics. _ "Something _you _wouldn't know about since all you did was help Kali push her to the bottom of the heap. I mean hey, someone had to take that spot, right? And god forbid it be _you." _

He snarled, his arm coming to my throat as I dug a claw into his stomach, it was really just to make sure neither of us could realize that our death would come at our own or at least some form of injury. _You can't even admit a little bit that you're enjoying this. _His eyes darkened, both us us letting out small groans of pain.

I snarled, "I mean, being the bottom of an alpha pack must make you nothing...not an alpha, but not an omega either…must suck."

He put his face really close to mine, "Don't you _dare_ act like you know what it's like. Sure I'm happy to not be there with our pack. I've _been _in that position, I've _been_ the one that everyone beats down on. So while you got to have the happy, go lucky back with Derek where everyone is equal, my brother and I have lived I live we were only valuable as long as we stayed _useful._"

I snorted, "Wouldn't know what it feels like? _I w_ouldn't know what it feels like? I spent my childhood being cut apart by my own mother with her words _and_ butcher's knife for seven years of my life. I think I know what being at the bottom feels like." I pushed him away. "Some come at me pretty boy, I'd like to see you try and say something that would be worse than what she came up with." _Okay we could just do that….that makes sense…_

"Well since we're baring our souls to each other and everything-"

I snorted, "Oh please, spare me that metaphor." I spat, moving away from him, already regretting opening up our battle for something to be said on that level. "The only people who can use that line are people who actually have souls."

"Oh is someone not a believer in the immortal soul?" He said, turning to face me.

"Well, I was always taught that it was a something pure and clean, but for you..." I shrugged, "Sorry hun, but a black hole does not a soul make."

"Well you better get used to your loss now sweetheart," He looked down at me, stepping forward so that he was only a swipe of my claws away. "Because your soul is just as black as mine. And you've got the eyes to prove it."

And with that statement I lunged.

* * *

I don't know how long we fought, but I do know that I was feeling a rage like I'd never felt before. It was a mixture of self hatred, guilt, and bloodthirst towards him. It was like that one sentence he said had finally made me realized what I was saying to myself the past few days. I was…I was a murderer with a darkened soul. I make all of these promises to protect people or to be a better person and I break them. I lie to my loved ones and I don't even tell them how I feel unless it's to get them to turn hatred away from themselves. It was all so infuriating that I just burst forward and attacked at the person telling me. Of course he just laughed, and pushed me away each time I tried to get to him. He would kick my kicks off, grabbed my wrists when I went to claw at him, it was an elaborate dance that really, just helped me to expel my thoughts and sorrows. With each hit I was able to let go.

I slumped into his arms as he grappled me, thinking back to when I would go out to the punching bag at the substation to let out my aggression and fears. Lately I've just been bottling it all up and let my enemy push my buttons to the point of attack. _Yea, he played you good, Babe...though you put some nasty barbs in his side in the process. Now we just have to find a way to explain all of this to Isaac when you get home...SHIT! The bond….he's going to know that I-_

I shoved myself off of Aiden, a new sort of energy filling my entire being. "You knew I was going to attack you…and you knew I was trying to keep Isaac from knowing about this."

"It's such a shame really, your performance was very convincing too." He wiped his mouth where I'd finally managed to land a hit with a smile. "Only now you're going to have to figure out a way to explain how that pretty little outfit of yours got so ripped up. I must say, I like this version better."

"Oh and you think your brother is going to appreciate that you just instigated a fight you weren't allowed to have?" I spat at him, "Don't worry, I'm sure Duke will understand. Or maybe even Kali since she had given Derek a timeline and all."

He shook his head, "Again with that mouth…Even in the face of danger you fight on. You know you have no chance of possibly winning, but you still go after it. You would rather die than let someone else get hurt."

"It's called having a heart!" I snarled, "Something you would know _nothing_ about."

"NO!" His eyes flashed, trying to force me to submit. I looked into him, steeling myself against it. "It's more than that."

"Oh, do _enlighten_ me all knowing grunt." I said wincing slightly as his gaze made me want to buckle. _Don't give him the satisfaction. _

"It's called a leader's instinct," He looked at me taking his gaze off, "And you've got the force of will to go with it." I slumped slightly.

"It's something you pick up when you have nothing left. But you'd know all about that don't you?"

He chuckled slightly, looking at me appraisingly, "You'd make a hell of an alpha kid."

"Says the boy who is back in school when they clearly should be at least a few years in college." I scoffed, "As for being an Alpha, no. I fail people too often to lead them…something I _doubt_ you would understand since you're one of the reason's Boyd's dead.

Aiden moved forward, whether it was to attack or not, I'll never know since Piper suddenly appeared, a cross look on her face.

"Okay children play time is over with for today." She gave me an amused look, "Come on Steph… we have to go rescue Stiles from Peter. And maybe go and get you some new clothes...should have warned you that Aiden doesn't exactly play play." She took my arm and started to lead me back to the Jeep when Aiden called out, Ethan joining him with a worried expression.

"Hey Steph." I cringed as the nickname fell from his lips, _I almost prefer Coppertone._ I turned to him, not sure where he was going with this, " I would pick you over Derek and Scott any day."

"Well that's just too bad," I smiled, "Because I have this issue where I lie to myself and others, so I don't think Duke would like that very much. I probably wouldn't last long anyway. What with that mouth I have and all." _Okay you can't tell me __that__ wasn't flirting! _

We stood there, a mutual respect in our eyes, _eh, you say respect I think he's admiring you since your shirt is mostly gone at this point...and you are just too stupid to realize that-_ before Piper pulled on my arm.

"Come one Steph, we have a human who is being tortured into listening to Hale family dramas...save your….whatever you're doing, for school."

I shrugged letting her pull me away. Passing her the keys, I got into the passenger side of the Jeep.

"Why are you giving me these?"

"Because I'm going to attempt and make myself presentable, and think of a way to tell Isaac how I look like shit and why he felt like he just went through a knife factory so he and Stiles don't have my head for fighting an Alpha after they both tried to convince me to be safe and stay away from danger…"

"Might as well blame it on me." She suggested with a snort, "Then they would believe that it was all my fault and your angelic persona would be saved." _After today I doubt you could call me angelic..._Adding with amusement, "At least I don't have to listen to them lecture you. I can just leave" She shot me a look, "without you and go do some therapeutic shopping." _Well you gotta admit, it's a good thing that she offered herself as a back up...if only to ditch so the boys can lecture only you._

* * *

After we'd gone back to my room at the Stilinski home, _which you __still__ refuse to call home in spite of everything,_ I made sure to shower and get all of the dried blood off my body and hands. Apparently I had actually landed more blows on Aiden than I thought, since I could smell him all over me and it made me sick to my stomach, something else stirring with it as well. _Well you know it's probably-_ I shook my head, ignoring the possibility of any of my wolf's suggestions, making my way to my closet where I was lucky enough to have two of that arrow shirt and the cardigan. Lydia had seen them and though I would like them, and since she had finally gotten something right I didn't have the heart to tell her I already had them. _Good thing too, don't want the boys to be suspicious of your lies would you._

She pulled them on and then went to accessorize with the three-chained dreamcatcher necklace and my bracelets. One was a sliver cuff that had chevron arrows cut out of it and the other was a small braided piece of turquoise cord. After slipping back into the suede shoes, she left her hair wet, since she was lucky enough that it was still raining, and turned to Piper, who was sprawled on my bed.

Crossing her arms in slightly uncomfortable manner, I figured I'd better ask now while I still had her alone, "So uh...what did Ethan want?" She shook her head a little, _Do you really want to know? _"Or rather what did he have to say that was so secretive?"

"Nothing very helpful." I commented, still sprawled out lazily on the bed. "In fact it really was a waste of my time." _Uh..huh...that gave me plenty of time to get myself into quite a hot mess, thanks for that._"I think he just wanted to talk and didn't want to be constantly interrupted by you and Aiden's little battle of wit… so yeah." _Well...she got you there...though I wouldn't call it a battle of wits..._

I scoffed, voicing my wolf's thoughts, "It's only a battle of wits if _both_ people are of equal intelligence. That Pretty Boy was nothing but lude comments and insults." I fell into my desk chair with a sigh, "Though...I now have to come up with a story to tell Isaac since I lied to him when he called asking where I was." _Yeah, I'm curious about how we're gonna get out of this one..._

I ran a hand through my hair, regretting that I had lied to Isaac, but knowing that he would have made things worse had he shown up. _But what do I say so that he doesn't lock me away somewhere...or that he could believe..._

"I already told you Steph." she muttered, "Just blame it on me." Sitting up, she let out a sigh, "Listen. Be like… 'Piper tried to take off and I was worried so I snuck along'." _While that is true, how do I explain the- _"Then while 'I was hiding, the twins showed up and expecting trouble I had to intervene.'" _Now this is where it gets tricky considering the lie you already said... _"You could blame it on Aiden. Saying he pissed you off by mentioning Boyd and you just snapped - only to realize he wasn't worth it."_ Yeah because that would make things between him and the twins __so__ much better. _"Then to really make him feel special, say something like 'I just wanted to get back to you so I left, found Piper, and…' then give him a kiss to soften him up." _Like that wouldn't raise some suspicions, what are we, characters from a Nicholas Sparks book? You're pretty damn close half the time._

"Well when we talked I told him you and I were on a drive and that you were sleeping in the back." She said, rubbing her temples, _Which I am now totally regretting. _"And he believed that, though for how long I don't know…" _I mean I could barely get the sentence out without a few uhms and uhs…_

"What am I going to do with you…." She groaned, trying not to laugh, _She would find this entertaining...it's not her mate. _ "Okay so we can't say we were in an accident cause the Jeep is fine." I watched the wheels start turning, _Oh no you don't._"What about -"

I shook my head to stop whatever she was planning on doing to Stiles' car., "That wouldn't work anyway, the way the mating bond works, he feels exactly there I get hit…or at least I did when he was…" _She says to the wolf who had to teach her about some of the finer tunings of the mating bond. _I trailed off, looking at her guiltily with that thought. "Anyway...if anything happened to the Jeep Stiles would kill me. And to be honest, I'm more scared of him, as funny as that sounds." _Then again you've seen him on half a bottle of Adderall...it's not pretty..._

"Oh please… Stiles would rather cut off his arm then have anything happen to you." _Well, there goes the little green monster again...even when she has __nothing__ to worry about… _"So I highly doubt he would have the ability to stay mad at you for long." _Okay fine...that's true but-_

"You underestimate the love this kid has for his car…" I mumbled with a shrug, "But I'll take the compliment all the same." _Well that's a first...I'm impressed even if you sort of pushed it away at the same time. _Piper sighed, trying to figure out what to do with me.

"What is we said you were helping me fight?" I said, coming up with the thought. It was perfect._ The wounds would make since and I could just say-"_That I-I didn't want to be thrown around like that again after what happened with-" I sighed, _Still not ready to go there just yet..._ "what happened the other night? That we decided to go off to the preserve and you kicked my ass." _I mean obviously I would have to keep Isaac away from Piper for a bit, but that's okay as long as he doesn't find out about whatever it was that happened today. _She shrugged, clearly thinking the same thing but not caring.

"You do realize that either way neither of them is going to let you out of their sight." I inwardly sighed at the truth of the dry comment,"Especially after the meltdown you had from the other night." _Yea well, that wasn't going to be happening any time soon anyway. And I don't want to hear it from you about meltdowns, missy. Not after what Stiles told me. _

"As long as they don't find out about our little meeting with the twins, I'd say that a little hovering is worth it, don't you?" I said, looking to her pointedly, "Do you really think that _they_ will be as understanding as I was? This lie is for both of us, Pipes." _I don't need them thinking that-_

"So you think if I tell them the truth they are going to believe I'm a spy again?" She snapped hurt but what she had interpreted as an accusation, "Is that what you thought Steph?" _No...but I was concerned that they would think that...I'm just looking out for-_"If that is the case than they all of you can just kiss my -" She took a deep breath before growling, and I worked to defuse the situation.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." I snapped softly, "They just would think that you don't feel like you belong with us...or that you would go off and stupidly try to sacrifice yourself to get Kali off Derek's pack as way to prove yourself."_ Because we both know it's something you would do. _She shrugged, giving me a speculating gaze as I stood up and sat next to her, letting out a sigh, "I personally thought the second one...and it scared me to death. Why do you think I didn't stay in the car? I wasn't going to sit by and let you get yourself killed."

"Stephanie… as hard as it may be to believe I do not want to get killed." She started softly, "I didn't feel like today was a threat." I gave her a sceptical look and she added, "I was worried about the possibility of a trap but that is just because I'm cautious." She let out a small smile. "And whether or not I feel like I belong isn't the real problem." She gave off a dismissive wave before continuing.

"But I won't sit back while Kali keeps on coming at us, not with the Darach also in the picture." I watched as Piper's eyes hardened with resolve, "One way or another Kali has got to be put in her place. Besides I don't want to lose you…" She said the last part softly, and I knew that she meant that she cared for more than just me in that comment. _Well at least you're finally opening up to me, but you have the silliest worries. _

I smiled, rolling my eyes softly, "You're not losing me anytime soon. You're stuck with me now." _Okay this got a little too mushy...you were doing __so __well today too, damn it. _

"Lucky me…" She mumbled, getting to her feet. "Well after that unnecessarily emotional moment, let's go get Stiles and see how good of a liar you are." _Well that might be easier than you think considering today's earlier success. _

"Can't wait…" I mumbled, twisting my cuff nervously as I followed suit. _Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it._

As we were walking out of the house, and she dutifully handed me the keys, I thought popped into my head while we climbed into the jeep. Turning go her, I smiled.

"Oh and by the way… you are staying in the car once we get to the loft." I shook my head not wanting to hear her protests "As much as I love you, and everything, I can't handle anymore of you and Peter."

"I-" She let out a sigh "Okay fine. Good point."

_Wait what? She gave up __that__ easily?_ "Huh...that was way easier than I thought it would…"

I smirked, however, pleased with the fact she didn't fight as I turned on the engine and pulled out towards the loft. With a smile, she turned to me when we hit the main road.

"Instead of talking about me and Peter, our possible relationship…" _Oh boy here we go...Though that better not happen. _"Why don't we talk about you and Aiden…" She shot me a curious look making me wish I had never gone with her. _Oh admit it you had fun messing with the alpha. Maybe a little _"Because damn girl. All that tension and -" She cleared her throat, "sexual frustration was making me nauseous." Looking out the window, she snickered as I groaned. _Great, now I have her teaming up with my wolf and looking to much into things…._

I kept my eyes on the road, an evil smirk stretching across my face, "Don't get any ideas Blakewood, or Danny will find out about your secret rendezvous with his man."

"Luckily for me… Danny is gay." Piper quipped waving away the threat, _if you could even call it that. _"Therefore he has nothing to worry about." She added cheerfully, "However I know for a fact Aiden is far from gay."

I rolled my eyes as I looked to her, _Well no shit. _"And what gave that away, the overcompensation or the fact that he's been screwing a certain redhead in Coach's office?"

"No…" She said sweetly, "Because we used to date and I will let you in on a little secret." She paused, barely giving me time to react, "The sex was pretty fantastic." And then she continued with a wink, I "And he doesn't need to compensate for anything…"

_Oh dear lord as if me seeing you flirt with him wasn't enough she had to go and- THE ROAD! STEPH PAY ATTENTION! _I swerved suddenly, my face flushing as a myriad of images flew into my head. "That is _not_ something I needed to know….or have a mental image for…._EVER_." She winced, "It's going to take _forever_ to unsee that...Blech." _Oh please, you enjoyed every second of it...but just to humor you I'll let you think you're disgusted...for now…_

I drove ahead, looking to the road as I thought of what had happened today and how there was no way the twin _or_ my wolf was going to let it go. _What have I gotten myself into…_

* * *

_And that is all for now… I know it seems kinda out of place, but this is here for a couple of reasons. _

_1) being that I didn't really know what else to do for Visionary, so my friend and I made this up. _

_2)This is going to provide a backstory for things I want to have happen later in the story with Aiden, Steph, and Isaac. (I will promise you this, it will __not__ be a love triangle) _

_Anyway, thoughts, questions, fave or follow! just let me know what you think. _

_Thanks for reading!_

_~Gwen_


	15. Finding the Bodies

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_Okay, well you two play nice now…" _

"_Oh, don't worry: I don't bite...hard." "As if you could even get close enough to try." _

"_Nothing really, I just find it really interesting that you would lie to you mate and then on top of that, you returned his declaration of with 'and I you'." "Yeah maybe that's because normal relationships are more complicated than ones that are all about sex."_

"_You know you have no chance of possibly winning, but you still go after it. You would rather die than let someone else get hurt." "It's called having a heart!" "Oh no...it's more than that." _

_Well okay, then we just had a sparring(ahem..flirting) match with Aiden, a meltdown about Boyd's Death, and on top it all you're lying to Isaac and have him and Stiles hovering you like you'll snap...what what else could possibly go wrong…._

* * *

_Chapter 15: Finding the Bodies_

It had been three days since my fight with Aiden and I had been under so much surveillance that even Stiles's dad was getting concerned. Thankfully, they believed my speech about Piper teaching me to fight so they aren't worrying about me getting to to fights with alpha twins, but it still left a pit in my stomach. I mean it was great that they were worried and cared, but seriously, a girl needs her privacy when she's taking a shower! If I found out that Isaac or Stiles were sneaking around whenever I shut a door _one_ more time, I was going to _give_ them something to worry about. _Wow..tell us how you really feel about your boyfriend and best guy friend caring for you…it's not like you were in a nearly coma-like state a few days ago or anything. Or that you lied to them about who you were __really__ getting into fights with_.

I ignored the comment from my wolf, snuggling into my covers as I _finally_ got the room to myself for some peace and quiet. _And sleep, beautiful, blissful- _The door slammed open- _I'm going to __kill__ him._

"Steph wake up, I just got a call from Lydia. It sounds like she's having another episode like at the pool." I rolled over to look at him, my hair probably disheveled since I had _finally _gotten comfortable enough to sleep.

"What are you talking about an episode like at the pool?" _I seriously have no idea what you are talking about, just let me sleep..._

"The night we found the second virgin sacrifice." _Oh that episode, well in that case._

'I'll get my pants and shoes." _Someone better be dead or when we get there, I'll be __creating_ _a dead body for Lydia to find…_

When we pulled into the school behind Scott, we jumped out immediately, running out to him. Stiles was frantic whole I was on high alert looking for anything out of place.

Stiles turned to his friend, "Where is she?"

We turned at the sound of Allison's voice, "Over here." The two walked over from the side of the parking lot, the boys and I meeting them at the edge.

Stiles looked at her, "Lydia?" _Yes, let's just re-establish this who we are talking about..._

She shook her head, her arms at her sides, but the one hand moving as she spoke, _"_It's the same thing. Same thing as the pool. I got into the car heading somewhere totally different, and ended up here." After looking at her and Allison, I felt really and irrationally underdressed in my outfit consisting of my pajama shirt, jeans and Isaac's cardigan that I stole the other day. _Focus you dolt! This is a crisis not project runway. I doubt anyone is going to care what you are wearing when you find a body. _I nodded, more to my wolf, but at least it could look like I was paying attention. Lydia crossed her arms looking to Stiles, with a shrug, "And you told me to call you if there's a dead body."

Stiles looked to Scott and me, then back to Lydia in shock, "You _found_ a dead body?"

She shook her head, "Not yet."

Stiles looked to her, "Not yet"? What do you mean "not yet"?" Lydia, you're supposed to call us after you find the dead body." He said, moving his hands agitatedly.

Lydia shook her head, holding a finger up, "Oh, no, I'm not doing that again." She waved to him, "You find the dead body from now on."

"Why are we all talking about finding a dead body like it's a normal thing?" I said, getting ignored as Stiles talked, but Allison gave me a sad smile, making me continue "I mean I don't know about them, but I don't find dead bodies very often."

Stiles looked over to me, "Well how are you supposed to? Lydia's always the one finding them…"

I looked to Lydia, "I don't know where he thinks he's getting in this conversation by saying what he just said to you...I mean just because I was talking doesn't mean I didn't hear him…" the girls chuckled while Stiles just glared at me. "Oh shush, you know that I'm-"

"Guys." We all turned to Scott, "_I_ found the dead body."

We all followed his gaze and found one of the sheriff's deputies against the very wall I was leaning against on sunday...only with a lot more blood. Everyone was looking on in horror while Stiles went to call his dad. After a few seconds, the sound of heels clacking came from behind us, causing me to turn around. _Great...now I feel __really__ underdressed…_

"So this better be good guys -" came a familiar voice as she came into view, stopping as she saw the sight we all were gaping at following our expressions, "Oh… well then."

Piper was walking over wearing a strapless navy blue dress, the material clinging in all the right places, with matching heels. The outfit was simple enough but with the makeup and her hair all curled and hanging down she was a definite sight to see. It would have been laughable, how out of place she looked, if not for the fact there was a dead body a few feet away. _Okay note to self...teach Piper how to dress when looking for a body...she's acting like it __is__ project runway._

"Don't even give me that look Steph." She said with irritation, "I got your little text after I just finished a show with my band." She glared, "It isn't like I had time to change."

"Oh, well as long as I wasn't interrupting anything too _important_ with the appearance of a new _sacrifice._" I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. _Now now... Be nice she helped bail you out the other day. You would be facing far worse than surveillance if it wasn't for her. _

"You are just cranky because you have been under surveillance." She shot back before smiling sweetly, "How is that by the way?"

I shot a glare in her direction, "Let me put it this way, it's a miracle when I can manage to so much as _pee _in solitude." I looked over at Stiles with a slight scowl, "The very _idea_ of privacy has seemed like a foreign concept I will soon forget about." _I mean really? I just want to sleep and wake up in peace... And maybe use the bathroom alone every now and again._

"Well, if it's going to prevent you from running off and getting the crap beaten out of you by your best friend, then I don't want to hear it." He said, looking to Piper with a still surprised look on his face, "Though I would like to see how practically she could fight in that get up…" _Oh I'm sure you would Stilinski...I'm sure you would._ "Anyway, my dad's men are on their way here to look at all of this...we should probably go."

"Oh you mean I can _actually _go and get some sleep?" I said, a blissful smile on my face, "With the door locked and everything?" _Please? Please say yes..._

"Why do you need to lock your door…." Piper started before shaking her head, "Wait nevermind. I don't want to know I'm too tired to really care anyway." _Ouch... You just list me asking how your concert was ya jerk..._Stifling a yawn she pulled out her phone, which just so happened to be tucked in her bra, _because we needed to give Stiles even more if a heart attack if course..._"I'm just gonna call my ride and I'll see you guys -"

Lydia held up a hand, "No wait..I kinda of want to hear this, Steph?" _Man just when I thought I had escaped it…_

I sighed, "Because otherwise Scott will be walking me up...and he likes to dogpile on me, and by that I mean he just flops into me until I have to kick him off…" I said, looking at the Mccall teen with a small frown. "Or even worse...Stiles will literally drag me out of bed."

Stiles and Scott spoke together, "Oh, you know you love it." _Well that is besides the point. I have an alarm for a reason. _

"Least he doesn't lick your face to get your attention." Piper pointed out, "That would be disgusting." _Freat and now he had more ways to torture me... Thanks piper I owe you one._

"Piper!" I snapped as Scott got an evil smile on his face, "You're supposed to be on _my _side! Not giving them ideas!"

"Oh please like he would ever do that." She waved her hand in dismissal, "You, my dear, need to go to bed… I cannot handle a cranky Stephanie right now." _Well I was expecting to be asleep! Instead I was dragged along to see a dead body only to call the authorities and bail._

Allison let out a short laugh, making me look over to her, "Don't make me regret our little moment back there, Argent…" _If we can really even call it that_.

Stiles looked at me with an amused grin, pushing me away, "Okay Bedtime for Copper. I'll let you guys know of any news tomorrow."

And with that cheerful thought, our nighttime adventure had been concluded, and I got no sleep whatsoever.

* * *

"Stiles...it's bad enough we spend all night trying to figure out what they found out at the station, but now we have to stalk your dad when he's at the school too?"

"Shhhh…" He said, pushing me next to him against the pillar. Piper looking at us like we're idiots. "I just want to see if he found out anything since this morning." He shrugged, "besides, it's not my fault your boyfriend wasn't here with Scott this morning to take you off my watch."

_That's true...where was Isaac this morning? _I ignored that thought, noticing that he'd been acting weird the past couple of days, and looked around the pillar. "You know most people come to school to _learn_ not spy on their parents…"

"Uh, guys?" Piper started, "I hate to break it to you, but spying would imply that you wouldn't get caught and-"

We watched as Sheriff Stilinski turned to who he was talking to saying "Excuse me." Stiles and I both turned around, hiding behind his backpack as we moved towards English. _Crap crap crap! _"Hey! Hey, hey, hey. Back it up guys."

We stopped turning around, "Hey there Sheriff," I mumbled, a sweet smile on my face as Stiles dropped the backpack. _Oh stop it...you are totally busted and he knows it._

He gave me a look before speaking, "I know what you're thinking. I know you've got all these ideas about patterns and people dying in threes…" _Well you did teach him that pattern idea…_

Stiles gestured forward, "Dad, _murdered_, okay?" He paused, "_Sacrificed_, actually."

He looked over to Stiles "I've got half the state, including the FBI, coming in on this. They're not getting away with killing one of our own." He looked to his son with concern, making me feel like I was intruding on something. _Well how do you think Piper feels as she stands there hoping that we get yelled at? Or not. There she goes walking with Greenberg.I turned to look, but saw her rounding the corner. Oh...she left. Better be go._

Stiles sighed, "Dad, they killed Tara. You know, how many times did she help me with my math homework when I had to wait at the station for you?" He threw his hand down, his voice cracking with emotion.

His dad looked to him with a small sight, "Just, uh, get to class, okay?" He looked to me, "Keep an eye on him, okay?" I nodded and we both headed off to English.

He still looked upset, so I pulled him to the side of the door, "Hey...we're going to figure this thing out okay? And get it back for _everyone_ it's taken...I know that it's taken two people from you know, but-" I sighed, not knowing what to say.

He nodded, pulling me into a hug, "Thanks Steph…"

I smiled as he pulled away, "It's the least I can do after all your surveillance...and taking me in...and helping me become part of the pack...and just everything else you do."

We shared a laugh and went into the classroom. I took a seat next to Lydia and behind Scott. Piper was in the front of the room next to Stiles, and while everyone else filled in, I looked to see her talking to Stiles and listened in, not even using my heightened sense given that they were so close.

"So… this surveillance thing with Stephanie," She leaned forward as she looked to him, "Don't you think it is a getting a little out of hand?" As she opened her notebook, I wondered if she as saying this for my benefit or if she was mad the two of us haven't exactly had alone time since I got us into this mess in the first place. "I mean come on Stiles. You have someone watching her around the clock. It is ridiculous." _Watch it. You might be hurting your chances of her helping you..._

"It is necessary since she is always seems to be getting hurt or into trouble lately." He grumbled in response. "I don't want anything else to happen to her." _Ouch! What the hell Red?!_

"Just because she can't handle certain situations…." Piper paused not sure what to say to that, _And you think you can react better? _I tilted my head, _would punching him work? Because I'm feeling like hitting him right now..._"Listen I know she means a lot to you -" _And you...you don't have to listen to him worrying about whether or not you're okay too…._"But there are other people that you seem to be forgetting about." He shifted back a little in his seat while she continued, _Trust me, you are barking up the wrong tree...I tried this tactic before..._ "Like Scott. He almost killed himself at the motel and is going through a lot but you don't have him being watched every waking moment. Then there is Lydia, who is again that magnet for dead bodies and is something…. but no guard team for her." _Little do you know that he has Allison watching her...though she's not in today too…you don't think that-_

"What about them?" Stiles said, clearly thinking that I had told her about our arrangements. _You mean that whenever Isaac or Stiles isn't watching you they're watching Scott? Yea no...haven't had the chance to tell her that.._"I am watching them." He snapped. "I can't watch out for them all the time, but that doesn't mean I don't care about them." _He's even managed to sneak us into a couple of your shows...don't think you were forgotten Pipes…_Piper seemed to be thinking that, but Stiles continued,"I wouldn't be so protective of Stephanie if I could trust you in taking care of her."

_I winced...it's not her fault Stiles, don't- _"What?" She snapped before lowering her voice, indignant, "I do protect her!"

He shook his head, "Evidence lately proves that you have only gotten yourselves in trouble thanks to you and your past. I mean you up and disappear and then Stephanie goes and finds you and then she is hurt.." _Stop! Stop it both of you! God damn it! I should have just told them the truth this is awful as it is Lydia told me that she feels like I forgot about her thanks to her helping me with a lie._

"Okay so it is my fault then? Are you protecting her from me?" She demanded, trying to hide how hurt she was. When he didn't answer for a few seconds, she growled. "Well fine Stilinski. Apparently you can't trust me after all. And here I thought -" _No stop. Don't say something you'll regret. _"Just keep watching Stephanie like the fragile little thing she is." _No seriously Piper you are going to say something you-_"To hell with what anyone else says." she added coldly with a smirk, "Especially me being the traitor and all that."

"I'm the worst friend ever." I muttered, making Lydia look at me.

"You talking about how mom and dad are fighting?" She pointed to them as Stiles tried to take back what she implied, but she shook her head, leaning back and looking for the our teacher. "Relax, it's not your fault, she's jealous and misses you...and he's just being too overprotective. You should see what he says about Isaac sometimes...to his face."

"If only you knew just how much all of that is my-" I paused looking to her, "What do you mean what he says to Isaac?"

Unfortunately as Ms. Blakes started, Lydia stopped talking. I looked to Piper, but she had a stony expression, and Stiles was glancing between me, her, and Scott nervously. My main goal at this point was to try and not make things worse. Sighing, I got my things together as the teacher started. Ms. Blake, who seemed to be doing pretty well considering what she saw the other day, walked around the back.

"Idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes, all tools the writer uses to tell their story." She stood between us as Lydia drew yet another tree. _She's been drawing a lot of those lately...and they all look suspiciously the same. _"Lydia, I wasn't aware you had so many hidden talents."

Lydia sighed, looking up at her with a smile and a shake of her head, "You and every guy I've ever dated."

Our teacher looked a little put out by the comment, saying, "Oh, um, well, that was an idiom, by the way." Lydia went back to her drawing and I held back a smirk, _Yes, she knows….she's a lot smarter than you and every guy she's ever dated thinks. _"Idioms are something of a secret to the people who know the language or the culture." She stopped in front of Scott and Stiles...looking to them pointedly, then looking at me with a touch of concern, "They're phrases that only make sense if you know key words." She looked away, directing the phrase to the class."Saying 'jump the gun' is meaningful only if you know about the starting gun in a race, or a phrase like 'seeing the whole board.'"

_Is she trying to tell us something? I'm not really sure what this chick's up to….or if I really trust her. _Stiles spoke up, "Like chess."

"That's right, Stiles. Do you play?" _No..he just watches me play against his dad._

Stiles shook his head, "Uh, no. My father does."

She nodded, looking to the front of the room, "Now, when does an idiom become a cliche?"

"When it becomes overused by people saying it too much...like saying you put your blood, sweat, and tears into something." I muttered before turning to Scott looked back to me then Stiles.

"I think I can get to Ethan." he leaned against his table, "I'm pretty sure I can make him talk."

"Yea and that would be such a smart idea?" _I mean my last talk with either of the twins didn't end so well…_

"Whether it is a smart idea or not." _I turned to Piper...yea you would know since you saw my mistake and my attempts at hiding it. _"I am coming with you when you talk to him Scott." She shook her head when we all gave her weird looks, _Well more the guys then you, I mean are you really that surprised? _"I am not going to let you interrogate or threaten him just because you are 'pretty sure' you can make him talk." She smiled sweetly at Stiles, "Someone needs to have his back." _Ouch. That was a little cruel, Pipes...calm down..._

"Oh and you are the one to have his back?" Stiles asked with a glare before shaking his head. He nodded his head towards me, agreeing with my earlier question, before asking Scott,

"What do you want to do that for?"

"The druids are emissaries, right?" He shook his head, "So what if the Darach was an emissary to the alphas?" _An__ emissary? They can have more than one? And if so, why do we only have one? _

"Okay he has a point. It would certainly explain the missing pieces in the puzzle." Piper nodded thoughtfully, "Not to mention why the Darach showed up right when…" _ Don't go there...please I feel guilty enough already this- _"when we did." _Or not...okay it's hurt Steph morning...great. _"But I can't remember any other emissary that could have been -"

Stiles looked unamused, "Okay, first of all, I cannot believe that we've gotten to the point where a sentence like "what if the Darach was an emissary to the alphas?" Actually makes sense to me. Second of all-"

"Wait, so you can't believe that but you _can_ believe that us looking for dead bodies in the night is a _normal _occurrence?" I shook my head, "Your idea of normalcy is skewed, man…"

Stiles sighed, giving me a glare before looking to Scott, "We're gonna have a huge problem getting to Ethan."

Scott shook his head, "What's that?" _Well I'm guessing he's tall, has a severe attitude problem, finds it funny to flirt with me while threatening me at the same time…Thinks he's seductive when really he's just been a big pain in my-_

Stiles looked at his paper, "Going through Aiden." _Yup...that's what I was afraid of…_"Ever since he's been back at school, they're always together. How are we gonna separate them again?"

"As much as I had to agree with Stilinski here, he is right." I frowned when she refused to look at him.

"Aiden is a little paranoid lately. Maybe he needs a distraction…"

Scott looked confused, and then looked to me, while Stiles turned around to Lydia. _Oh no...don't even think about it._

Lydia looked at them, noticing my glare at Scott, "What now?"

"Well I'm going to make a guess and think that they want to know if we can distract Aiden…" I muttered. And please say yes because I don't want to do it my way…"

Piper raised her eyebrows, smirking, "Oh.. and what is your way?" She pretended to consider this, "Does it include hurting yourself because Stilinski here wouldn't approve."

"Yea well maybe if you weren't instigating fights with him, he would loosen the lease." I snapped, getting tired of them fighting about me. "Besides, at this point a fight might distract him better...him and Lyda haven't exactly been chatty Kathy's after what happened with Boyd."

Lydia shrugged, "I pretty sure your boyfriend would kill me if he found out I could have prevented you from fighting...so fine." She looked to the group. "I'll do it."

* * *

And that's how I ended up in the locker room, standing outside of Coach's office. Lydia was making out with Aiden, and I was being forced to listen to them since they didn't want her alone and I refused to deal with Sties and Piper right now. _I would much rather be kicking his ass right now, but then again, I don't want to destroy the locker room. Especially after they got it to look really nice after Scott and Jackson made it nice. _There was a pause in the kissing, _thank god_, as Lydia spoke up.

"What's that look for?" _Oh great, don't tell me that she's not a convincing enough kisser...cuz of all the things for Lydia Martin to be bad at..._

Aiden sounded out of breath as he spoke, "Nothing. I'm just kind of surprised. You've barely talked to me since…" _Since you killed one of her friends? Since you and I got into a fight. Cough...flirting battle. A FIGHT..._

"Since what? Since you killed Boyd?" Her voice was tight as if she didn't want to think about it.

"I told you that was Kali. I didn't have a choice." _Yea right and I had no choice but to attack you the other day...no you wanted to and you liked it you stupidly annoying and- down girl down...you do want to convince me this isn't all attraction, right? _

Lydia's voice was distant as she started to lose it, clearly not anticipating much conversation, "I thought you were all alphas." _Well yea, you have no idea how hard that is.._

"Yeah, well, it's not as Democratic as it sounds. And if you're thinking I should be all filled with remorse, try and remember Derek killed Ennis." _Yeah and I'm sure you just as broken up about it as Kali is._

"Cora...what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to do something, I'm tired of sitting around while no one does anything." She snarled, her claws coming out. When I tensed her expression softened, "Well besides you."

"I don't know what you're-"

"Even after you'd bathed I could smell his blood on you." She raised an eyebrow as if daring me to deny it. When I didn't she continued, "I respect that you fought him and don't want the others to know, but don't think that I suddenly like you…" _Well shit…that was not something I thought I would ever hear her say..._

I was too shocked by her statement to stop her from carving a spiral into the door, "Cora wait-" I started, but she was gone, hiding among the lockers. _Well this is an unexpected development. _I moved back when Aiden shoved the door open. Lydia following him.

"Derek?" He looked at me, a slight smirk on his face. "Oh, hey, Coppertone...where's Derek."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I snapped, "I'm here for Lydia."

I watched as he turned back to his search for 'Derek', Lydia pulling at him as he started to move forward, looking round, "Aiden, stop, please…"

He ignored her, "I'm right here, Derek."

She looked at me, then him, "I'll Scream." I grabbed her arm and stood in front of her.

"It's not Derek...and there's no use in talking to him." I said, continuing after she looked at me confused, "Cora paid us a surprise visit. Just stay behind me."

Aiden held his arms out, looking expectant, "You want a fight, Derek? Come and get me."

"Poor choice of words," I muttered.

Suddenly, Cora charged him, wolfed out and clawing at his chest. I kept Lydia back, standing in a defensive stance while Cora kept swinging at him, his eyes reddening. Everything inside me was screaming to help her to fight, but I needed to keep Lydia safe as she yelled for Aiden to stop. He grabbed Cora's wrist and throat, tossing her across the room. She felt to the floor, sliding until she hit the wall under the sinks. Lydia moved behind me but I whipped around and wrapped my arms around her waist, keeping her still. When he picked up a weight however, I ran, as she spoke.

"Aiden, Stop! Stop!" _That's not going to work, sweetheart. _

I got into a crouch in front of Cora, his words going through my head, y_ou know you have no chance of possibly winning, but you still go after it. You would rather die than let someone else get hurt…_ I growled hating how he was right, but not letting him hurt another member of my Pack. He kicked me top the side, and into Lydia, swinging the weight so that it hit Cora in the face. As I moved to try and get in front of her again, Scott and Ethan grabbed Aiden, Stiles sliding next to Cora. I Stood up and held onto a shocked Lydia. The weight fell to the floor with a clank as Piper came in as well.

Ethan looked at his brother, "You can't do this!"

"She came at me!" He snarled, looking to me,"And she went to defend her."

I watched as Piper's eyes flared red, "So that gives you permission to kill her?" She snapped with a growl, _She seems out of sorts...is she okay? _ "I don't think so!" She stood, covering Cora and Stiles while I stayed to protect Lydia.

Ethan shook his head, "It doesn't matter! Kali gave Derek until the next full moon. You can't touch him or her." He shook his head.

Aiden shot a look at me and Piper pinched her nose, "For once in your life Aiden… just listen to Ethan." _Thanks for that cover, Pipes….this is getting harder to keep a secret than I thought._

And when Aiden still didn't move, his brother spoke up again. "As it is you and Steph broke that rule once already." Stiles looked to me as I snarled. _Or not...Great...just freaking great…_

Aiden looked over at me and Lydia, who had joined Stiles next to Cora. Lydia just looked at him, telling him where she stood in all of this while I glared at him. _Well not that you were a mystery anyway…I mean like Ethan said, you guys were fighting the other day. _Ethan looked to Scott and gave him a nod before steering his brother out. Piper moved over to me, looking at me as if to gauge what we were to do next. _About what? Cora, or the fact that my lie has been exposed?_

Stiles looked back down at Cora, "Hey, guys, I think she's pretty hurt."

Piper pulled her eyes from mine and snapped at Stiles, clearly in a mood today, "No kidding. I would be hurt too if I got hit in the head with a weight."

"Well staring at her isn't going to help, so let's help her up," I stated, as she started to move, pain evident in her features. "Come on, someone help me." I put myself under one arm while Lydia took the other and we helped her get up and to a sink.

"I can do it," She snapped pushing us away as she leaned onto it. I handed her a damp towel and she started to dab at the blood from her recent hit to the head.

Stiles spoke up first, "You okay?"

Lydia stood back next to Stiles as I stayed behind, but next to Scott, trying to avoid the look of betrayal on my friend's face when he looked at me, "She doesn't look okay."

Cora sighed, "I'll heal." She snapped, earning a look from Piper.

"If you say so, pup. What is taking so long though?" _She does have a point, I hope she's okay._

As Cora started to stumble back, stiles went catch her, but she pushed him away, steadying herself. "I _said_ I'm fine." _Yeah...I've seen that form of fine before sister...and you aren't fooling anyone. _

"Stiles leave her alone. If she says she is fine…"

Piper tried to say, but Stiles was looking at the Hale like she was stupid, "Do you realize how suicidally crazy that was? What were you thinking going after them?" _probably the same thing I did when I started my fight with Aiden..._

She looked to me, "The same reason Steph did it," _Can we not keep bringing me up with all of this? _"I did it for Boyd. None of you were doing anything."

Piper looked at her, "Oh so getting yourself killed is the obvious answer?"

Cora scoffed, looking at me, "Well with that kind of response, I can see why you lied about it." She looked pointedly at Stiles and Scott, "You care more about keeping people _safe,_ than doing something about the people who _aren't here anymore._ And when one of us tries to do something, we're the bad guys." _Gee thanks for that...I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me...ever._

"Trying to do something and being suicidal are two different things." Piper retorted.

"That is rich coming from the traitor." Cora snapped. Piper made a moved towards her, her face a little red and she looked like she barely was keeping it together. Wisely though she kept her distance.

Scott looked at each of us sadly, "We're trying."

Cora looked to him, "And you're failing. You're just a bunch of stupid teenagers running around, thinking that you can stop people from getting killed." Her tone went bitter, as she held onto the sink for support, "But all you do is show up late. All you really do is find the bodies." _Again...She's got a point. It's not a happy point, but it's still true..._

She got away from the sink and walked away, leaving the four of us to look at each other. Piper scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well that was lovely. Remind me why I am supposed to care about her?"

Stiles sighed, avoiding my gaze as he pushed his arm off the wall he was leaning against, "She's definitely a Hale…" He started to walk away, "I'll make sure she gets home."

Piper rolled her eyes, trying to not look offended by this, "You would… make sure your new pet gets home there safely Stilinski." _Oh just shut up! Piper we have more pressing matters than your jealousy._

"Be careful" I muttered, turning to him, "And Stiles?" I stopped, seeing the look on his face, _Oh no...don't look at me like that…_"I just-"

"I don't want to hear it Steph...just…" He sighed, looking down, "just stay with Scott, help him...because right now I just-" He swallowed, running a hand through his hair, "I can't…"

I moved to follow him as he left the room, but I was held back by Lydia, a sad look in her eyes. _Well what am I going to do now?_

I turned to look at Piper then but she shook her head, "I don't want to hear it either Steph." She paused, "Nor do I have any solutions to fix anything." She moved towards the door, "I finally accept I like the guy only to have this little lie make him think I was a traitor again." She glanced at me with a sad smile, "I don't want to -" Shrugging she opened the door, "Lydia just text me the updates." She waited for the redhead's nod. "I'll catch up with you guys later." Then she left.

Lydia looked to me and Scott with a shrug, "Well at least she finally admitted it?"

I sighed, looking to where she went, "But at what cost…"

* * *

_Well so much for that secret huh guys? Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Almost done with season 3A! Then comes season 3B...Anyway, enjoy! _

_Thanks for reading, _

_~Gwen_


	16. Guidance and Guardians

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_Dad, they're not dying...it's murders...sacrifices, actually." "Listen, I've got half the state, including the FBI, coming in on this. They're not getting away with killing one of our own."_

"_So… this surveillance thing with Stephanie," She leaned forward as she looked to him, "Don't you think it is a getting a little out of hand?" "It is necessary since she is always seems to be getting hurt or into trouble lately." He grumbled in response. "I don't want anything else to happen to her." "I wouldn't be so protective of Stephanie if I could trust you in taking care of her." "Okay so it is my fault then? Are you protecting her from me? Well fine Stilinski. Just keep watching Stephanie like the fragile little thing she is. Especially with me being the traitor and all that." _

_I just wish that this lie would keep them from fighting about me. This is all my fault._

"_Cora don't!" _

"_You can't do this! Kali gave Derek until the next full moon. You can't touch him or her. As it is you and Steph broke that rule once already." "And with this response, I can see why she lied about it. You care more about keeping people safe, than doing something about the people who aren't here anymore. And when one of us tries to do something, we're the bad guys."_

"_Stiles...Piper." "No, Steph...I just can't." "I can't either." _

_Well at least I don't have to lie anymore...but now they both hate me._

* * *

I was walking through the halls with Scott when he finally said something. I hadn't been able to really think or speak since Ethan had given away my lie out of fear that no one would believe me. I mean luckily, he hadn't given away that Piper was there too, but now I had to risk not telling someone in a moment of trapped feelings and insecure thought. And to make matters worse, she just walked off without a word as well, making me worried about whether or not she's okay with whatever is going on with her and Stiles. _Yeah and it's all because of you...shocker. Let's just have another go at this self-guilt thing, it's done wonders for us the past few days.._

"Look, she's just…" He sighed letting out a nervous laugh, "Actually when it comes to Piper I have no idea."_ Welcome to the club, Scottles, everyone is a member of it._ "But I do know that today is an off day for her _and_ for Stiles. I mean, they've been fighting _all day_. I'm sure they'll come around...or at least one of them will. They can't leave you out to dry for too long, it's against everything you guys have."

I sighed, "Look Scott, I appreciate the gesture you're trying to make, but I'm pretty sure they'll make up with _each other_ before they even _think_ about talking to me, and that's saying something, given that I live four feet away from one of them."

Scott shrugged, "Maybe you just need to give them time...let them come to you."

"Yea…" I mumbled, "Look, let's just talk to our Guidance Counselor who is working for the Death Destroyer of Worlds and get this over with…"

"Are you-" I nodded, giving him a look that stopped all attempts at conversation. "Oh-Kay…"

We walked into the office to find Morrell on a step stool going through her files, a distant look on her face, "Sorry, but I don't remember having any more-" She looked down at us, "appointments."

Scott was a little ahead of her with his back to us, a hand on the strap of his bag,"You sure? 'Cause I could use a little guidance right now."

I shrugged from my spot in the doorway, my books in my arms, "And word on the street is you can help people like us."

She let us in, not really paying any mind to me, but more to Scott. After putting my books on her desk I I closed the door, making sure no one would try to eavesdrop. _Who would...to the uncaring eye we could be a couple requesting help from the counselor….though me and Scott together is about as possible as me and Aiden dating.- Don't really know if the jury's out on that one yet. -Shut up._

I turned around and found them both sitting, so I took the chair next to Scott as she spoke, "Why are you bothering with me, Scott, when you know the clock is ticking? When you know someone else is about to be taken?" _Yeah and we are all so knowledgeable on __exactly__ who is going to be taken. _

Scott looked at her, "By you." _Oh right...and we're here to blame you for that, too. _

The older woman shook her head, looking at Scott pityingly, "Come on, Scott. Shouldn't you leave the interrogations to someone like Stilinski?" _I don't like that she rolled her eyes at his name._

I smirked, "He's a hell of a lot better at figuring things out than you are." Scott put a hand up to keep me back as I leaned forward to add, "Remind me again who helped save your brother? Because it sure as hell wasn't _you._"

Scott was still holding my shoulder, making sure I wouldn't lunge at her, "Are you the one killing people?"

Ms Morrell looked at us, her face blank as she spoke to us really slowly _or just a really good poker face. "_Are both of you listening to my heartbeat?" I glared at her as she whispered, "No. I'm not the one killing people." _Well she is telling the truth...unfortunately. _Scott sighed while she leaned back into her chair, _"_Truth is, I'm all that stands between Deucalion and the lives of your friends." I snorted, _Yeah, and I'm the distant relative of Anastasia Romanov after she survived her family's massacre. _She looked at me, "I've been the one pulling the leash taut when they're salivating for a bite. _Especially_ after you turned Piper, and then had a fight with one of the twins when Kali had a cease fire order."

Scott looked to me sadly, before ignoring the other half, "What do you mean by protecting us from Deucalion?" _Thanks Scott…at least you still have my back. _

"He wants a true Alpha in his pack. He thinks it's you. And a little distraction like a few human sacrifices isn't gonna dissuade him from the prize." _What the hell is a True Alpha?_

Scott shook his head, "I'm not an Alpha."

Morrell tilted her head, "But you're well on your way, aren't you?" She looked at me, "But something tells me you didn't share that with the rest of your pack."

Scott suddenly stood up, slamming his fists on the desk, "Then what is he waiting for? What does he want me to do?"

"Uhh, Scott…" I put my hand on his shoulder having jumped up when he did out of shock. _And here I thought __I__ was going to lose it..._

She copied him, her voice tight, "He wants to make a killer out of you. That's what he does." _Like with Piper...like with the twins-why are you suddenly so sympathetic towards them now? Did you actually __buy__ that sob sorry Aiden told you?_

Scott looked at her confused, "But if I kill someone, I can't be a true Alpha, right?" _How do you know about all of this? Has Deaton been giving you werewolf mythos without me again?_

She nodded, "Exactly. You want the psychologist's perspective?"

"Not really, but might as well, we _are_ with the guidance counselor after all." I snipped, giving her my best bitchy smile. _Well aren't we in a mood today…  
_

I was given an unamused glare before she continued, "He's an obsessive who both desires you and is threatened by you. If the obsessive can't have the object of his desire he'll choose to destroy it instead. You'll either willingly become part of his pack or he'll make a killer out of you, destroying your potential to be a true Alpha."

Scott looked at my tense state, knowing we had to get out soon. "Neither of those is ever going to happen." _I hope so…I don't know what I would do if you went dark side on us Scott...it's as likely as Peter being an all around good guy at this point, but hey, stranger things have been happening lately. _

She shook her head,, "Don't be so sure." She fell back into her chair, "You're playing his game. And while you're trying to figure out what to do next, he's thinking ten moves ahead, with checkmate already in sight."

"Well then it's a good thing I know how to play chess, then isn't it?" I said with a tight smile before grabbing Scott. "Come on, we have more important things to do than listen to the riddles of a Druid who can't even decide whose side she's on." When we got into the hallway, I pulled him from the door, "Okay what the _hell_ was that about?"

"What do you mean?" I gave him a look, trying to say this and get him less freaked out than he already is.

"You…" _are you really going to accuse him of lying when they just found out about yours? _I sighed, "You lost it in there, Scott..._you._ I thought it was going to be me...but now, you did. Scott Mccall, the all around good guy." I put my hand on his arm, making him look at me, "What is that?"

He opened his mouth to say something when suddenly, a shriek peeled through the school, making us both cover our ears. We turned to each other saying our thoughts.

"Lydia."

When we got to the history classroom where she was, there was already a crowd at the door. Aiden was with her as she talked to Ms. Blake. I saw Ethan and motioned for him to take my spot, knowign he would want to know what's going on. He gave me a look, but nodded his thanks anyway. A few seconds later, Piper showed up. She didn't really see me, since I was pushed to be outside of the door and away from Scott and the calmer twin, and for some reason I think it was better off. _Right because ignoring her further will make things all the better. _I shrugged the thought away, listening in as Lydia's voice floated over.

"Okay, fine. I'm psychic." Lydia said with exasperation, addressing Ms. Blake, _or so you think since you can't see_. _That would make sense..maybe...idk seems too easy. _

"You're psychic?" Ms. Blake was sceptical.

"I'm something!" Lydia nearly yelled, clearly still not even sure herself. _Like I said: too easy._

"A deputy and a teacher? What's the pattern?" Ethan asked where I could see him looking first at Scott then Piper

She shrugged, while Scott said, "I don't know."

"Whatever it is…" She looking back to something in the room, "We are losing the game."

* * *

Lydia and I were walking into the recital when I saw Piper with Ethan and Danny. I moved to go talk to her, having missed my chance after telling Ms. Blake I would take the redhead home-_Which turned out to be a lie since you're here now-_but she grabbed my hand, pulling me with her to Scott. I followed remembering the days when it was my sister she used to pull around like that. _Only unlike Mel, she __actually__ likes and cares about you. And She has come a long way from that popular bitch who didn't give a damn about other people. _When we reached him, I noticed him surveying the room. _Damn...Aiden and Morrell are here too. Oh __and__ Derek's girlfriend….who organized this terrible idea. _

Scott looked to us, "I thought you were going home...I thought Steph was to make _sure_ you got home."

Lydia shook her head, "I can't. I don't know why I am the one that keeps finding the bodies, but maybe if I just stopped trying to fight it," She looked to me and then back to Scott, "I'd find them before it happens, maybe with enough time for someone like you to do something about it. Both of you..."

Scot moved closer to us, his voice lowering in resolve, "You get us the time, and we'll do something about it. I swear to God, I will." He looked to me, "It's time to do something to keep people safe _and_ for those who are gone."

I nodded, "I'm just here because Stiles would kill me if he found out I left your watch…" I smirked when they glared at me, "But I'm always up for a good fight."

Lydia looked to us from her spot in the middle, her eyes full of fear as we turned to look at the recital our hands clasped tightly as we tried to figure out what to do. Pulling out my phone from the pocket of my jeans with my free hand, I sent Derek a quick text, my worry extending to those that weren't here.

**To Derek "The Alpha" Hale**

** Is everything okay with Cora? Melissa told me and Scott that she finally got admitted. I'm sorry she's hurt...I tried to stop the worst of it, but was too late. **

_Just like always…_ I sighed, hitting send. Lydia looked to me, but I shook my head, mouthing, 'checking on Cora.' She nodded and we went back to focusing on the others. My eyes watchful for our English teacher, but sparing a few glares towards the more hateful twin as he fought with his brother, most likely about Danny. _Piper said that he didn't really approve of them once Danny was 'no longer useful'. _

I moved with Scott, as Lydia stayed a few steps ahead of us. I made sure she was okay before looking to the full orchestra as they started to play. When the music played, it was perfectly depressing, making me wish I had actually told the truth and brought Lydia home. _This is just too much sadness in one room. Too much of a reminder of all that I've lost the past few months. A reminder of all the failures I've committed, all the people I failed. Hell, all the people I'm failing to help now. How I'm letting innocent people die. Or even what I was missing right now. And I feel so guilty for being worried about my problems when-_

I paused my tyrad as Scott took my hand, making me look at him. He gave me a sad smile, and looked back to the music. I smiled at him, not caring if he wasn't looking. Giving it a squeeze. _When I have people like Scott who try their hardest to help everyone around them. I need to focus...and to help him do what is right. _As we stood there, just providing comfort to each other, the door opened behind us, making us turn. Chris Argent came in, followed by Allison _and Isaac?_ The older hunter moving to the front of the crowd as the teens stopped and looked at us. Or rather, Allison nodded to us, awkwardly and followed her dad while Isaac waited to let the door close. Noticing the look of shock on Scott's face, I immediately pushed away the thought that he had sent my boyfriend to check on the huntress and dropped my friends hand. _I really wish that had been the truth...now I have to go and question my mate. Which makes me look like a jealous bitch.-You mean you __aren't__?- Completely __not__ the point...but yes… I know that I am, but it doesn't mean I have to like that character trait. _

Isaac moved to follow Allison, but I grabbed his hand, forcing him to look at me. "Where were you today?" I hissed, keeping my voice low so as not to cause a scene or disrupt the recital. "I was worried when I didn't see you at school today."

"Yeah, uh...I…" He trailed off as I waited expectantly. Clearing his throat, he spoke, looking through me instead of at me. "I was looking after Allison." He paused, shrugging, "For Scott, you know? Since everyone's been so worried about you, him, and Lydia lately...hell even Piper's gotten more concern than her. He was worried, so I went for him. I knew that Stiles would keep an eye on you."

"Oh really, then why does Scott-" I shook my hand, looking down at the floor, "You know what? I'm not going to do this here." I muttered. _This is too much at the __wrong__ time and I just can't._

"Do what here?" He asked, looking at me nervously. _Call you out on your shit, that's what. Now when I lied to you a few days ago and you believed me. I'm better than that. I'll do it when we're alone...and then I can tell you the truth too...no matter the consequences. _

I shook my head, "Nothing. Just go. Do whatever it was you promised Scott. Wouldn't want to disappoint your new roomie."

He hesitated, looking hurt by the sadness of that last sentence, but left to find Chris and Allison all th same. I bit my lip, moving to rejoin Scott when Piper came up. _Should have expected she'd be here despite her blatant avoidance of my text: Danny's here after all. _I rolled my neck, _But this is great...I get to accuse my boyfriend and then get an earful from her in the same five minute span. Well, might as well. I'll be the bigger person with everyone tonight. It's only fair. I've done this to everyone. _

"Oh look who finally showed up." Came the cheeky greeting as I watched Isaac catch up to Allison and move away. "Must suck when your mate forgets…" She stopped. _There must be something written in my face. Well this is going to be interesting._ I watched as she winced, snapping her mouth shut as she watched their retreating forms. _Of all the times for you to gain tact or sympathy for me today..._I mused as an "ummm" came out of her lips with a lack of anything else to say.

"No go ahead...say it." I said encouragingly, hating how my voice cracked, "I know you've been waiting all day to make a crack about how it must suck to be forgotten." I looked down at my hands, playing with my ring since it was the only jewelry I had with me today, since I had had decided on a simple flannel with jeans, boots and a beanie look. _Of all the days to revert to old style…I could really use some bracelets to play with right now…_

"I know you feel like I've been ignoring you, but it's not like I've had the chance to talk to you...or know what to even talk about without annoying you. So...I just hid behind the fact that I was on a glorified suicide watch." _Cuz let's face it, that is pretty much what they're worried about. _I sighed, hating how right my wolf was, "So go ahead and say it, so we can have some form of normalcy again." _Because I really could use some after what I just let happen..._I looked to Scott, wincing slightly as he was joined by Stiles. _Or so that I can have the courage to fix things with someone who has done nothing but help me since before I'd even become a werewolf. _

"Have we ever had normalcy?" She said quietly, making me look back to her, "Honestly ever since the beginning… our friendship is anything but normal." Avoiding my gaze Piper looked at everyone in attendance tonight. I felt for her as her shoulders slumped at the sight of a woman's tear stained face. "I don't want to fight Steph." The admission affected me more than her yelling would have. "I just -" She let out a bitter laugh as she looked to the boy that got us into this mess, "My feelings are all mixed up and I needed you."_ And I need you too, don't you see that..._She rubbed tiredly at her face before continuing, "I needed you and couldn't understand why you didn't make the effort to talk to me."

Turning back towards the stage, we fell into a somber silence, the music sinking into an even further relevance to my life right now. _Let's not think about it. _ "I didn't realize how much our lie would cost me." she whispered, "I would have rather just told them and dealt with their hate…" _That's the difference between me and you..I can't handle their hate...it would destroy me. They have more power of that then I would dare to admit. Though not Stiles probably hates me so, I'm already halfway there. _

Swallowing hard with her, I watched Piper's hands dig themselves a little deeper into her sweater's pockets. "I didn't realize how much I relied on him -" We both looked quickly at Stiles, "or you for that matter in order to stay sane." she shrugged, _It is a scary idea...trust me I had an issue with it at first too. Still do. _"I don't care if we talk about anything, even if the topic annoys me…" Finally I met her gaze fully, "I just want you to talk to me Steph, don't ignore me."

I looped my arm through hers, making her look at me shocked, "I didn't even realize I was until Lydia told me today." I leaned on her shoulder, "I'm sorry for this mess I caused...I'll do anything I can to fix it."

We stood there in silence, but I knew that she understood, and maybe that I was forgiven, but before I could fully appreciate that, the music changed tempo. It was more frantic and ominous now, making me look around to make sure everyone was okay when I noticed…

I pulled away from Piper, looking to the boys, "Hey guys? Where's Lydia?"

While Scott asked, "What do you mean?" I was vaguely aware of Piper trying to regulate her breathing. _Is she okay? _

"I mean she was right behind us before Isaac and the Argents showed up,-" I said, looking behind us, "but now she's gone." _Did she talk to the twins at all? I swear to god if they did __anything__-_

I was being pulled by Scott as we all moved outside. _Just keep yourself calm and don't freak out don't just start shouting like-_

Stiles and Scott both called out, "Lydia!"

I sighed, _like that._ Scott was looking around, so I tried hearing and smelling her out, not sure that Piper was doing, but allowing her a minute to regain her bearings. I looked to see she had her head tilted, her specialty lying in her hearing. Stiles was looking at us nervously as we surveyed what we could. My ears were filled with the sound of the music, and filling me with dread, and my nose was catching the growing fear of the audience, but I wasn't getting anything on Lydia. _It's okay...we'll find her, just keep calm and focus on things you can identify to her. _We all turned after a few seconds, Stiles speaking up.

"Anything?" We shook our heads. Stiles looked down at his frown, frustration evident in his voice when he said, "She's not answering texts. What do we do?" Piper shook my head, looking to me with a hard gaze that said she didn't have any answers to offer this time. _It's this damn darach...it keeps messing with our heads and then theres this-_

"Damn it." Piper hissed, turning towards the door when the eerie chanting reached our ears. Glaring she spun on my heel and walked to side on the other side of Scott, while I just tried to tune the scent back to my human side's capabilities. Yeah, easier said than done, but it was dimmed enough where I could keep focused. That is until the unease of everyone inside leaked out the door, their emotions clung to the air. Piper turned to the door, "What is going on?"

"I don't -" I started, but suddenly a loud ear-splitting scream filled the courtyard, making all the wolves cover our ears. _No kidding! It was worse than those stupid ultrasonic emitters we installed around her not too long ago. _Piper and Scott ran off, making Stiles and I call out to them.

"Scott?"

"Piper!"

I grabbed his arm, not even caring that we were fighting right now, and chasing after them. We got back into the school, but by the time we got to the right room, we were shut out, a desk being shoved in the way by-

"Of course it's her." I gritt my death, slamming myself against the door after a few failed attempts by Stiles. "It _can't_ be come person we don't know...for _once. _Just once? That would make things to much easier.

Pressing our faces against the class, we watched as the Sheriff, who was wounded with a knife to the shoulder. _Oh no...when did he get here? _As stiles watched I kept pushing, looking through the window as Scott went after the bitch. Piper was moving along the wall and towards the Sheriff, I muttered to no one in particular, moving along the wall towards the Sheriff, but was thrown back when Scott got tossed into the chairs. Hitting her head against the top of the stack, she fell getting pinned as the chairs fell onto her. _No, no NO! I will __not__ watch this happen again! I won't. _I slammed against the door, my shoulders cracking in protest.

I struggled to free get in, watching as Ms. Blake headed in determination towards Sheriff Stilinski. _Get in, get in! You can't let her take the Sheriff. _Pain flared though my shoulder again as I threw myself into the door, the sheriff saying something from his spot on the floor. I listened as I struggled, using it to fuel my motions.

"Years ago, we found her in the woods, her face and body slashed apart. That was you, wasn't it?" The Sheriff asked Ms. Blake. I snarled as she looked at him al pleased with himself.

"Maybe I should've started with philosophers, with knowledge and strategy." She stated thoughtfully. Sheriff Stilinski didn't seem to appreciate the comment for he fired a shot into her leg. I watched as it healed, my movements getting more frantic. _Shit...I think I dislocated my shoulder. _I stood back and popped it back in as she smirked, "Healers…" a pause as she gripped the knife in his shoulder and pushed it deeper, the Sheriff's gun falling uselessly towards the ground as he cried out in pain, "Warriors…", she ripped off his badge, crumpled it in her head and left it fall to the floor, "Guardians…" She was uncomfortably close to his face at this point, nearly pressing herself into his body. "Virgins" she whispered giving him a kiss. _Well that confirmed that. _I slammed against the door again, my shoulder still hurting, but healed. _No for me to get __in__ there and help. _

Piper had finally shoved away the last chair, leaping to her feet and rushing towards Ms. Blake as her face changed, revealing her true features underneath the pretty mask. Diving for the gun, she came up prepared to fire. I had finally gotten the door open, Stiles stumbling in before me. With the blink of an eye, the Sheriff and the Darach disappeared. Scott at this point was awake and climbing painfully to his feet. I ran over to help Lydia whiles Piper stared out the broken window with the gun clasped in her hand. _late...why am I always too late._

Stiles just made it worse by whispering, "Dad?" There was no response except the wind from the broken window. As his body went stiff with realization, Piper dropped the gun, allowing it to return to its original position on the floor. Coming to stand beside him, she slipped my hand into his, I held it tightly as he looked at to with a panicked gaze.

"We will get him back." she vowed, speaking first. _Hell yeah we will...even if it's the last thing I do. _

"I -" He tried, swallowing harshly. _No...stop it. You betters stop that now...we need to focus. We need. Oh god what do I do? - You buck up and make a plan, squirt: hop to it! _

"Guys we need to tell Derek...and we have to get there now!" I said, pulling Lydia out of her chair. "She knows we're going to tell Derek" I explained impatiently as I finally focused on the task,"so we have to beat her there."

"Yeah, and how do you expect Derek to _believe_ you after the lies you've been telling." Stiles snapped, tapping at his lip nervously. _Not that I blame him...I'm worried about the sheriff too. More than I should be. _

"Now isn't exactly the best _time_ for this argument!" Piper snapped with a warning look at Stiles, making me look to her appreciatively. She just shrugged it off, her hand slipping out of his as I continued.

"Besides, after I drop Lydia off, I'm going to make a stop halfway to pick up something that'll help, trust me." She looked at Lydia, "Is it okay if I borrow your car tonight?" The redhead nodded and they rushed out. _Please understand and don't get mad, Pipes...I just need to do this. _

"Steph wait-" I turned to see Stiles coming behind us in the and Piper following closely behind. I know that splitting up wasn't something that they wanted to do, but I needed to get things done and Lydia safe. And the fact that I didn't really give them my full plan probably wasn't helping. _Stay focused, it's your emotions that get you in trouble so much. _

"Stiles, now isn't be best time for this...time if of the essence here." I snarled, still wounded by his accusation. _Which again, you should be negating, no emotions right now-shit what is wrong with Piper? _I worried as Scott grabbed her arm to keep her upright. _Girl! Stop it Focus! _

"Yeah, well it's not like she's going to take my dad _with_ her to try and seem innocent, so I'd say you can spare the few seconds." He snapped. I looked to Lydia and sighed.

"Fine, what is it?" I ran a hand through my hair-the beanie having been lost on the run to Lydia. "If this is about this stupid lie then I would rather just-" _Again we have lives to save, kid, this needs to be wrapped up soon...like now! _

"Yes, it is. And it _was_ stupid. Did you seriously go after the _Twins_? Especially the one that had you electrocuted?! Were you _trying _to get yourself killed?" He shook his head, "And why would you _lie_ about it?" I looked to Piper as she shook off Scott's help and hobbled between us. _Again with the emotions and now you're hurting Piper...MORE! So stop this shit and get back to work! _I tried to listen to my wolf, but my friend spoke up, trying to talk sense into both of us.

"Both of you just shut up." I snapped, glaring at both of them. "This isn't the time…"

"If you're only going to stand there and yell at me then I have more important places to be." I snapped, turning so that I didn't have to listen anymore. _I have people to save, and I really can't handle it if I fail anyone else right now. And you are making this too hard right now. _

"_Guys…" Piper tried again. She's right, my wolf's right we can just do this-_

"Fine Steph, run away from your problems, just lock them away with everything else. It's the only thing you're good at aside from getting yourself in trouble."

I froze, ignoring Lydia's frantic pleas to not say anything, or the fact that Piper was gaping at us. _How __dare__ he? What the hell is his issue today? I __lied__ to protect everyone! _I turned to him,_ You __silly__ human. You have no idea what you are saying or doing, so let me get one things straight._my tone venomous as I glared at him, "Better run away from my own issues then stick my nose where it doesn't belong."

Turning on my heel, I pulled Lydia with me to her car, my stomach twisting as I thought of how I was going to fix this mess. _Yeah, you kinda dug in a little deep there...let's hope you don't regret it too much. Let him stew in what he made you feel all day for a little bit. I'm sure he'll understand. _We drove in silence, Lydia thanking me quietly and telling me to make sure everyone was careful. _No promises there, but I can try._

When we met up the loft, I let Stiles do all the talking, staying with Scott and Piper. I gave him the vial I had picked up from the clinic, having texted him ahead of time to let him know what I was doing. After we got Derek to believe us, which basically was a way of us explaining how we watched her try to kill Stiles' dad as well as the murder attempt on Lydia,-_Well you also provided the very herb you can use to prove it if he didn't. And well, everyone trusts Scott, it's just in his DNA….-_We went into hiding behind the broken wall.

"Now what?" Stiles said, looking to Piper and Scott. _I'm really not that surprised, he's probably still hurt…hell I am, but I have to at least pretend to be emotionally vacant to get this shit done._

Piper shrugged, "Isn't it obvious? We wait." _Because this isn't going to be awkward at all..._

* * *

_That's all for chapter 16! Hope the thoughts between Steph and her wolf make sense...it was more of a self reflection on where she keeps 'going wrong' in all her fights, as well as a way for her to try and save people while she still can! Anyway, next up is episode 10 where the start of a few surprises I have for you guys is! Hope you keep reading and you enjoy it still!_

_Thanks so much for any and all support!_

_~Gwen_


	17. Battle at the Hospital

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_Look, let's just talk to our Guidance Counselor who is working for the Death Destroyer of Worlds and get this over with…" I'm not the one killing people. Truth is, I'm all that stands between Deucalion and the lives of your friends.I've been the one pulling the leash taut when they're salivating for a bite. Especially after you turned Piper, and then had a fight with one of the twins when Kali had a cease fire."_

"_Guys where did Lydia go?""It's __**Ms. Blake**__?! __**She's**__ the Darach?!" _

"_Dad?!"_

"_We need to tell Derek!" "Yeah, and how do you expect Derek to believe you after the lies you've been telling."_

"_If you're only going to stand there and yell at me then I have more important places to be."_

* * *

_Chapter 17: Battle at the hospital_

It only took about an hour and a half of uncomfortable silence before our teacher showed up, her torn up face gone and her 'innocent' one intact. Piper had left after ten minutes of the palpable tension, while I ended up leaning against Scott as I thought of how to apologize to Stiles as well as keep myself at an emotional distance in order to help find his dad. I felt Scott stiffen at the sound of the door opening and the calling of Derek's name. As she panted and made her way down the stairs, I got up and moved to peek around the edge of the wall. I saw her in the middle of the room, calling out in a panicked voice. _Gee you're lucky that we brought him here are you'd be yelling for no reason...after all his sister __is__ in the hospital right now._

"Derek, where are you?" She was looking around as if something was after her, making me roll my eyes.

Derek, came out from the small hallway next to the couch, his voice soft, "Right here."

I watched as _Jennifer_ let out sigh, "Thank God." She whispered, running up to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Per the plan, Derek held her to let her think no one said anything to him. She pulled away, her voice rushed and panicked still. _give it a rest lady, you're laying it on a bit thick. _"Something happened at the recital. At the school. Okay, I need to tell you before you hear it, before you hear any of it from them." She was now only holding his hand as he looked at her with a really convincing look of confusion.

"From who?" _Damn, Der...you even had me convinced, bravo._

Jennifer shook her head, "Scott, Stiles...maybe even Stephanie? They're gonna tell you things. Things you can't believe." Her voice was now pleading as if _she_ wanted to tell him the truth. "You have to trust me, okay? You trust _me._" _Like that's gonna happen. You're too late ha ha haha ha.- will you behave?- sorry. _

Derek took on a concerned tone as if he was worried about her, "What is it?"

"Promise you'll listen to me."

Derek nodded, "I promise."

She kissed him, his hand moving around her waist while still holding her. _gross...she's evil dude! -well I was actually going for the how she really looks idea- really not helping here! _She pulled away, her voice flat with recognition. "They're already here, aren't they?"

"Well that's our cue, I whispered, helping Scott to his feet and heading out with Stiles behind us. We stopped so that Stiles and I were flanking Scott the vial in his hand.

She looked at us, her glare evident, but switching it as she looked toward Derek, "So... they told you it was me? That I'm the one taking people?"

I rolled my eyes as Scott corrected her, "We told him you're the one _killing_ people."

I nodded, my arms crossed, "Yea, pretty important distinction. I mean, you _are_ an english teacher, you should know better." _Ooh_! _nice burn!-thanks. _

"Oh, that's right." She laughed, "Committing human sacrifices? What, cutting their throats? Yeah, I probably do it on my lunch hour. That way, I can get back to my job-which Stephanie as already said is teaching high school English-the rest of the day. That makes perfect sense."

As she looked to us like we were being silly kids, Stiles looked at her, a tear streaking down his face, and breaking my heart, "Where's my dad?"

"How should I know?" _And this bitch as the gall to look at him with __sympathy__? How far is she willing to take this? _She turned to our leader, "Derek, tell me you don't believe this."

Derek looked to her, then us. Stiles was shaking his head, more tears falling down his face, making my eyes water too. In spite of how hurt I was, I moved next to him and placed my hand in his. He immediately clasped it, understanding that I was just as scared for his dad. _Well, yeah, he's been a dad to you for as long as you and Stiles have been friends. _I nodded to Derek, and he spoke evenly,

"Do you know what happened to Stiles's father?"

"No."

"Stop _lying!" _I yelled, Stiles gripping my hand tighter as I went to move. _Right...you're tethered, be there for him…_

Scott spoke up, "Ask her why she almost _killed_ Lydia." _I'll even show him the picture of her neck if that helps?-you took a picture?- she wanted to see how bad it was.-oh okay. _

"Lydia _Martin_?" _No the author Lydia Davis. Man you are not seeing that your dumb act isn't working are you? _"I don't know anything about that."

Derek finally got annoyed, "What _do_ you know?"

She shook her head, "I know that these-boys and girl-these _children_- for whatever _misguided_ reason, are filling your head with an _absurd_ story." She turned to us, a threatening look in her eyes, "And one they can't prove, by the way."

I smiled, giving Stiles' hand a comforting squeeze, "See, that's where you're wrong."

She looked at me like I was an idiot while Scott held up the vial, "What if we can?"

Jennifer's face shifted as she got nervous, "What is that?"

"Something I picked up on the way here," I said with a shrug.

Scott: took a step forward, "Our boss told us it's a poison and a cure…" He twisted off the lid as she took a step back from Derek, "Which means you can use it... and it can be used against you."

She looked at us with disbelief, "Mistletoe?"

I gave her a look of fake sympathy, "But you have nothing to worry about, right?" She looked at us panicked, "Toss it Scott."

And he did, clouding her in the dust, making her gasp as she twisted away from it in vien. Finally, her face was back to it's marred and slashed up mask we saw at the school. As the herb fell to the floor, she went back to her disguise, panting from the remnants of the dust's effects. Derek, who looked like he was in shock, moved forward, as she tried to run, grabbing her throat.

"Derek, wait, wait!" she pleaded while I watched his claws extend in his other hand, "You need me."

"What are you?" He demanded in harsh whisper as she struggled to pull his hand away from her neck.

"The only person who can save your sister. Call Peter. Call him!" She yelled, forcing the words out as he held on to her.

Looking from her to us and back, he pulled out his phone. _I have no idea what is going on...what about Cora, is she okay? Is she-_Stiles took a step closer to me, so that we now had our shoulders touching as well as our hands clasped. I nodded, listening in to the conversation.

_**It's not good. She's in and out of consciousness. She's vomiting up black blood along with one other alarming substance. **__Oh no...it can't be…._

Derek looked to us, "Mistletoe."

_**How did you know that?**_ _Because we're with the chick that __did_ _it...and something tells me we won't be for much longer based on the look on his face. _

As he hung up, Jennifer looked to him, clearly expecting to be let go. Instead we got to watch as he gripped her tighter, making her gag. Scott spoke up his voice confused, "Derek. Derek, what are you doing?" Derek ignored him and lifted her up, her feet about a foot or two from the ground.

Jennifer gagged, "Her life... it's in my hands!" _not to mention the Sheriffs! Derek!_

Stiles pulled his hand from mine, holding it up as he took a few steps forward, "Stop. Derek, stop!"

"We still need her Derek!" I added, as she looked to us and then him.

"Stilinski, you'll never find him." Stiles and I looked to each other, his eyes still glassy, as mine were finally drying with the need to steel myself for what we need to do.

Scott tried again, "Derek." the alpha just kept glaring at her, watching her choke, "Derek!"

Derek dropped her, taking a step back as she fell to a heap on the ground, bracing herself with her hands. She looked around, her facade now gone. "That's right." She looked to Derek, "You _need_ me." She looked to us as Stiles' foundation started to crack even more, "_All _of you."

* * *

I took Lydia's car, making sure to follow behind the Jeep, hoping that someone let Piper know what is going on as well as the Derek didn't kill Jennifer en route. I looked down to see Scott was calling me, I answered it, putting it on speaker from the dock that Lydia had.

"What's up Scott? I'm still behind you guys, but did either of you talk to Piper?"

"Stiles shot her a text before we started to drive...have you heard from Isaac at all?" I tensed.

"No. No I haven't seen him since we talked at the recital. Something I need to talk to you about at a time where people's lives aren't on the line." I gripped the steering wheel, "Speaking off, does anyone else feel off about all of this?"

Stiles' voice came through, confirming the belief that I was also on speaker phone, "I don't know, something feels wrong about this. You know, we proved it to Derek, but she still had this look like it didn't matter. You know, like it was all still going according to plan."

I bit my lip as we drove in silence for a bit, "Yeah, I was thinking that too…"

"You saw it, didn't you?"

I sighed, "It's more like this just seems too easy, you know?" There as an uncomfortable silence as they agreed, "But we'll just have to wait and see I guess. I'll see you guys at the hospital."

The rest of the drive was quiet and full of thoughts on what I should do and how I would fix thigns with everyone once we finally stopped one of our two evils. As I pulled in, I caught sight of Piper's car-which surprised me since I didn't even realize she _had _a car- pull in after us, Derek behind me in his soccer mom car. _Huh...she must have been nearby or she zipped her way over here. I hope she's okay now that she's away from all that chanting and everything. _Made sure to lock Lydia's car, not wanting to explain how I would have managed to get it stolen in all of this mess, and walked over to Stiles and Scott as Piper reached us. I went to clue her in, but her jaw was already dropped when Derek came forward, dragging the bitch with him.

Derek spoke up, cluing her in for me, "She is the only one who can cure Cora or tell us where Stiles's dad is."

"Huh. Okay then." she muttered with a shrug. I could tell she was wondering if we get to kill her after-_as if you weren't too.- _When we all looked down to see the baseball bat clenched in his hands. _Isn't that Melissas? _Piper took a step back with a wary expression "You aren't going to hit me are you?" _Why would he hit __her__? _I paused as I caught her smiling at his own snort of disbelief. _Oh, right..she's doing what I should have been doing: making him feel better._"Hey… I'm just checking. Don't want to get knocked out and left behind." _Yeah, right. You're not the one who has been a bitch and haven't really talked to him about it since..._

"You -" He motioned to Piper, Scott, Derek, and myself, "have claws." He tipped the bat to point at himself, "Me? I have a bat." _Okay, fair point...that works. _

"I can see that." She quipped, "it is a lovely bat."

"Shut up." He mumbled but it was without heat and I'm sure I could see a small flush across his face. _Got you two are adorable...just get together already!-Is now really the best time for this?-Right..focus. _ "It is so I can protect myself and -" he gave Piper a pointed look, "the people I care about." _Okay, you gotta admit that was cute.-only if you admit that you got hurt when he didn't look at you too.-Fair enough, let's move on. _

As if reading my mind, Derek snapped at them, "I hate to ruin your moment but we kind of have more important things to do then standing here making kissy faces at each other." I nodded, following him as he dragged the Darach behind him."Let's go!"

_Oh now he decides to be a proper alpha and lead everyone….-Is now really the best time for this wolfy?-Touche human...touche..._

As we walked into the hospital, I took a second to relish in the fact that the last few times I'd been in here, it wasn't ever because I was being seen for some 'accident' or another. A lot had happened since those days, and once again I'm here to save someone inside. However, it wasn't exactly as calming an experience as I would hope, given the more than just mild storm that was raging outside. The halls were trashed with discarded medical supplies and papers probably from the front desk. There was dried and bloody bandages in the corner and people everywhere. _All I can smell and feel is panic and blood and pain! this is awful…._Sidestepping the debris and the still frantically moving staff members, we all turned another corner, when Ms. McCall appeared. _Melissa?_

Melissa ran up to us, "Scott! Scott! What are you doing here?" She looked around, "The hospital's evacuating.:

Scott looked to his mother, "We're here for Cora."

Melissa looked at the group we had assembled, "What, a_ll_ of you?" She paused noticing something, "Why does Stiles have my bat?"

As he looked at it, unable to really explain it, Scott spoke up, "Mom, just trust me on this. You need to get out of here. Right now."

"Please, Melissa, it's for your own safety." I said, moving next to Scott, "I know you're just doing your job but-"

She looked at us, unsure, "The building is supposed to be clear in 30 minutes. We've got two ambulances that are coming back. One's 10 minutes out, the other's 20." She nodded, stressing the last sentence, "Cora needs to be on one of those. They'll be picking up in the basement garage."

Scott nodded, "Got it. Okay." And he turned to leave, the group going ahead of us.

I looked at Melissa's face and slightly, "Don't worry, we have Scott's back. You focus on keeping yourself safe, okay?" She nodded and I ran off to catch up with them in the elevator.

The small box was tense I as got in, moving next to piper with the door to the right of my back. Derek still had a vice grip on Jennifer, making her shake her head.

"You don't have to keep me on a leash, Derek. I'm going to help." I scoffed, as she looked around to see Scott, Piper and I each glaring at her, as well as Stiles holding the bat poised to hit him.

"Trust me honey, even if you _did_ move, it's not like you could do anything."

She fixed me with a glare, but I shrugged it off, getting out of the small room as soon as the door opened, going to Cora's room. Derek was close behind me, and I stood at the door in shock.

"uh...she's not here guys." I looked to them, "and neither is Peter."

They all looked at the black pile of bile and mistletoe, following the drops. Scott called Derek's name, but we were all too busy listening to the sounds of fighting on the other side of the double doors. There was a bang, and Peter was sliding along the floor on his back. He stopped right next to me, Derek and Jennifer looking down at him. Piper of course, had to make a joke, saying.

"Hey there. come here often?" _Now's __not__ the best time for your revolting choice in men, Piper!_

Peter just shook his head, out of breath. "We got a problem." He lifted his head, pointing us to whatever sent him to us, "_Big_ problem."

We all looked to see the 'voltron' wolf, as Stiles put it, roaring at all of us. _Aiden. _I snarled with my wolf. _Must he __always__ get in the way?!_

"Oh crap." Piper muttered, with the loud noise, "This is just great." There was irritation in her voice, "It figures that the twins would remember to take their vitamins today." _Though funny, not the best time Piper._

"And just when I thought that I'd had enough of these two." I muttered, wolfing out with Derek.

I charged before him only for them to swat me into the wall and onto one of the side beds. Shaking my head to clear the resulting daze, I watched as Derek tackled them back a few steps. The mutant alpha spiked an elbow into his shoulders, but Derek stayed up, landing a blow to its stomach. I got up as a punch was blocked, and it hit Derek in the face, tossing him to the side. Scott was running over, as I lept onto it's back, my claws digging into their pecks. As they were distracted by me, Scott leapt off the wall, and swiped at them. Unfortunately, they ducked, making him hit me instead, my claws ripping along their chest as I fell. I got up to see Stiles and Peter running off past Scott and the giant who had him against the wall.

I felt an arm pulling me as I went to help, turning to see Piper, "Haven't you gotten into enough trouble fighting _one_ of them?!"

"I can't sit here and do noth-" I paused, looking at her, "If you're here, than who's with…" I turned as the twins said,

"All we want is _her._"

We all turned as Jennifer looked at us with a smile, the elevator doors clothing behind her.

"Well damn…" Piper muttered, "Should have seen that coming."

"You _think?_" I snapped, pulling off of her and leaping onto the twins' back again. _Are we sure we want do this? It hasn't been the most successful tactic of the night..._ "Now _let go_ of my friend!" I snarled, biting into their shoulder as hard as I could. _Oh okay, that might work. Though something tells me you stole that idea from one of them..._

They reared back, roaring in pain as Scott fell. I let go, using their shoulders to backflip off of them.

"You might not bite hard, but _I do._" I snarled, eying them before running off, grabbing Piper's hand. "Let's go let' go!"

We fell behind Derek, who was at the end of the group, Cora on Peter's back. _That must be what they ran to get._ As everyone else made it through to the room ahead of ud the alpha looked to see the even bigger alpha on our tails. "Don't stop, don't stop!" We all made our way through the double doors, but Stiles paused before the ones at the other side of the room, making Piper and I stop.

Scott and Derek called out, "Stiles! Steph! Piper!"

As the alpha twins showed up, Stiles hit them alongside the head, the bat shattering spectacularly against it. As they turned to a retreating Stiles, Piper and I each slashed at their stomach. Piper snarling, "Don't even think about touching him."

They turned to us ready to attack, but we we ran back to stand with Derek and Scott. Looking to them, I noticed what they were doing, and pulled Piper with me.

"Come on we have to catch up to the others!"

* * *

Piper and I made it into Operating room that they'd stopped at, Peter placing Cora onto the bed. Stiles turned to us, his eyes full of worry.

"They're right behind us," I said, panting from the fight and our quick escape. "They threw a ceiling light into the twins' face." _Pretty smart if you ask me. But anyway, on to more pressing matters._ I looked at him again, "Listen, Stiles about Ms. Blake...

He looked at me expectantly, but tensed as as Scott and Derek flew in through the doors. Peter spoke up, his eyes on Derek, "Where's the big guy?"

Derek took a deep breath, looking out the doors as Scott stopped next to me, "He's close."

Stiles watched to me, "What about Ms. Blake?" Scott and I shared a look before we shook our heads, Piper looking at Peter as we shook our heads, "What do you mean?" Stiles demanded, "What does that mean?" He took a step towards Scott in anger, "Like, she's gone? Scott, are you kidding me?"

"Shh, quiet." Derek snapped which succeeded in only causing Stiles' voice to drop to a whisper.

"Me be quiet?" He was on a roll, "Me, huh? Are you telling me what to do now?" _Well you __are__ the only one talking right now. _"When your psychotic, mass murdering girlfriend... the second one you've dated, by the way…has got my dad somewhere, tied up, waiting to be ritually sacrificed?" I went to grab his arm, but he yanked it from me, glaring at Derek. _Okay fine! Ignore any and all attempts to calm or comfort you! -You guys technically haven't made up- he accepted it before! _

Derek looked at Piper, his face stern, but she shrugged mouthing, "He has got a point."

Scott intervened before it could get worse, "Stiles, they're still out there."

Stiles was not backing down from this, "And... and they want her, right?" _This is very true..._He looked between Scott and Derek, "Which means now we don't have her either, so my dad and Cora are both dead!"

"Not yet." Scott said quietly, moving towards Peter and Cora.

"Not if any of us have any say in it." I added, trying my best to calm him.

"Well sorry If I don't exactly trust what you say right now." He spat. _Looks look he's back to being pissed at me. Great. _"Maybe you shouldn't but _your _nose where it doesn't belong." _Oh ouch...he just threw your own insult at you...that must suck. _

I struggled to figure out what to say as Piper moved to stand beside Stiles hoping just by being there he would calm down a little bit. _You really should have just left her to do it. _She brushed her arm against his, "I know its hard Stiles." She tried softly, "But we are going to get your dad back," she paused looking at Cora, "and save Cora." He shook his head in frustration. _yea good luck with that...even when we __aren't__ fighting he won't accept that comfort. _

"Is she really dying?" Scott asked coming to stand by the table.

"She's definitely not getting any better." Came Peter's rather calm reply. _Of course the psychopath would stay calm._

"There has to be something that we can do." I looked at Cora, "We have to help her."

"Maybe we can drain the poison out of her system?" Piper suggested, _that is how I worked to get the wolfsbane out of her...but would it work with the mistletoe?_ "Is there anything we can use…" she looked around the room with a hurried glance only to whirl around with one set of double doors swung open and Ms. Blake entered into the room. _Of __course__ she shows up when it would benefit her the most... _Glaring, Piper stepped in front of Stiles, automatically protecting him. _Well I don't have to do that..._I moved to stand near Cora, helping Peter. _If anyone makes a comment I swear to god... _I got a small chuckle of amusement from him. _You know it really __wouldn't__ surprise me if he was psychic. _

"You can't." We all tensed her words, "Only I can." _Oh, but of course. _"I can save her, and I can tell you where Sheriff Stilinski is. But there is a pack of alphas in this hospital who want me dead. So I'll help you... but only when I'm out of here and safe."

"Are you _kidding_ me?!" I snapped, Piper adding to it as she crossed her arms.

"Is that all? Anything else you want to add on to your list of demands…" She and her gave the woman a glare, "because right now I am not feeling too sympathetic towards your situation since I would rather just kill you…"

"That is a preferable option." I added. "looking to Stiles, "But Unfortunately we do need you..."

She glared at us and I felt the hairs on my neck stand on end. I kept up the glare, not about to be bested. _Man it's Aiden all over again, only you don't have the undertone of sexual ten-_ Peter put a hand on my shoulder, making me bristle slightly, but I noticed Stiles' hand at the small of Pipers back and how he was now right behind her. I turned to look at Peter with a snarl. "Okay...I get it."

Jennifer continued, "Only then."

"Great." Piper growled, "Just great."

"As if we didn't have our own necks to worry about." I muttered.

Derek suddenly moved, lashing out and sending one of those little equipment trays flying in his anger to get towards her. I jumped back into the table, turning to make sure I didn't jostle Cora too much before joining Scott. We were tense as he went after our teacher. _Really though can you blame him. _I shrugged to my wolf, _No...I mean I said earlier I wanted to kill her...still do actually. _I resigned to cheer him on from the sidelines, sharing a look with Piper in the process. _We are both so terrible...she wants him to hurt her as much as I do. _

Sadly Scott grabbed a snarling Derek and held him back, "Derek, wait!" _No… don't wait! Damn._

Derek pointed to her, pushing against Scott, "She was trying to get out."

"I was trying to keep from getting killed. You can't blame me for that."

"Personally I think we can." Piper said with a shrug, "But I can't do anything I want until you help us."

"To hell I _can't_." I snarled, "Can't we at least just rough her up a bit?" I looked to Stiles, but immediately regretted it. _I blame Piper, we've had too much influence on each other's behavior lately. _

Stiles stood still, Piper looking to him uncertainly, "If you want to show you're one of the good guys, then heal her." He pointed to Cora.

"Not until I'm safe."

I snarled, while Peter stood behind Scott and Derek. He glared at her saying, "I'd like to volunteer a different method of persuasion." He paused, "Let's torture her."

"As hard as it is to say it." I made a face, because it really _was_, "I agree with Peter."

"Huh." I heard Piper say under her breath, "Can I get that in writing - because otherwise I don't believe you."

Derek shrugged, giving me only a slightly shocked face as Stiles' jaw literally dropped. "Works for me."

He pushed against Scott as I made a step forward. _I mean hey, if I'm not blocked why not, right?_ When the PA squeaked on and Melissa's voice rang through it.

"Um, can I have your attention?"

"I thought we told that woman to _get out of here!" _ I snarled, my hands curling into fists in front of my chest. "_And this_ was exactly why!"

Piper came over, putting a hand on my shoulder, "Woah there, killer...calm down." I shot her a glare, "Or not! Whichever works for you."

"Mr. Deucalion... excuse me, just Deucalion... Requests you bring the woman calling herself Jennifer Blake to the E.R. reception. Do this, and everyone else can leave. You have ten minutes."

"Only ten minutes?" Piper inquired lightly, "I could do it in five if I hurried." She looked towards the others with a slightly pleading expression, "Can we?" _Is she for real? _We all looked to Scott, knowing that now it all rested on how he was going to react to his mom's capture.

Jennifer looked annoyed as she spoke up first, "He's not gonna hurt her."

Derek and I pointed to her with a snarl, "Shut up."

"No actually he won't kill her." Piper said, sounding like it tasted bad in her mouth befor adding,"Great, you just sync up with everyone at moments like this don't you." Piper muttered shaking her head as I looked back to Scott.

Jennifer persisted anyway, "He won't!" She looked to Scott as well, "Scott, you know why. Tell them it's true."

Derek looked from her back to Scott who was nodding, "What does she mean?"

Piper opened her mouth to say something, but I shook my head, _no use getting you into even more trouble with Stiles...let him be mad at only __one__ of us…_

"If this has anything to do with what Morrell told us today…" I started only for Jennifer to finish,

"You're not the only one he wants in his pack."

* * *

_Cliffhanger~! Sorry guys, just had to, it was the perfect midpoint to end at and the drama of it all was just ugh! Sorry Writing euphoria kicking in...Hope you enjoyed, and expect some big things to happen in the next chapter!_

_thanks for reading and any support you guys give me!_

_~Gwen_


	18. Sacrifice of Self

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_I don't know, something feels wrong about this. You know, we proved it to Derek, but she still had this look like it didn't matter. You know, like it was all still going according to plan." _

"_Steph have you heard from Isaac at all?" "No. No I haven't seen him since we talked at the recital." When he was with Allison…_

"_Figures the Twins would remember their vitamins today." _

"_We need to do something to help Cora...we have to." "You can't only I can." _

_We all looked to Scott, knowing that with his mom's life in Deucalion's hands, it was up to him. _

"_You know you have no chance of possibly winning, but you still go after it. You would rather die than let someone else get hurt." "It's called having a heart!" "Oh no...it's more than that."_

* * *

_Chapter 18: Sacrifice of Self_

While half of us glared at Jennifer, the rest looked at her like she was crazy. _This is what happens when you keep things from your pack. Aren't you glad that you're secret is out now?_

She rolled her eyes, "Deucalion doesn't just want an Alpha pack." She looked pointedly at Scott, "He wants perfection. That means adding the rarest of alphas to his ranks."

Peter's eyes widened in recognition as spoke in shock, "A _true Alpha_."

Stiles shook his head from where stood aways from us, "What's that?"

Peter looked at Derek, "The kind that doesn't have to steal his power from another." His gaze shifted to Scott, "One that can rise by the force of his own will."

I shrugged "and as you can tell from the dark side druid's insinuations…" I said, "It's-"

Peter finished, "Our little Scott."

"They grow up so fast." Piper laughed, "Seems like it was just yesterday where he was a little Beta." _He still __is__ a beta, Pipes!_

"And to think that it all came from _Peter_ biting him." I mused, shrugging when Stiles glared at me.

"So if Peter bit me now…." Piper thought out loud before saying, "Well never mind I'm already an Alpha so it is kinda pointless to have Peter bit me for no reason." _I really don't need to think about Peter biting you for __any __reason...it's kinda gross. _

Derek turned to Scott in disbelief, but the teen just shook his head, "It doesn't matter." He looked tp Jennifer, "We still need to get _her_ out of here."

I stared at him, as Stiles looked at him worriedly, "Scott, your mom…" _What about Melissa? We can't just leave her here now that we know that-_

"My_ mom_ said there's one more ambulance coming in 20 minutes. And I don't think we've been here that long," He looked to Derek and Peter, "so if we can get down to the garage, get to the last ambulance, we can get out of here."

"Well as great a theory that is…" I started, "We have more to worry about if Deucalion's here, that means _Kali_ is here." _Which means Piper's gonna be out for blood, or worse the she wolf will move forward her promise to kill us all. _

"And the twins aren't gonna let us just walk out." Peter added, this tone cynical towards the plan. _Not that I really blame him, this is a very simple and foolhardy plan._

"I'll distract them." _Of course you will Scottles...you're almost as bad as I am with this._

Derek shook his head, "You mean f_ight_ them."

"No, He's going to sit and play pattycake with them." Piper shot back with a smirk.

Scott keep Derek's gaze, "Whatever I have to do."

"I'll help you." _Well there's a surprise-NOT-I was being sarcastic…-oh, right._

Jennifer shook her head, "Um, sorry, but I'm not going anywhere without you, Derek."

"Are you serious? You do realize that _nobody_ gives a shit, right? Just be happy we're busting you out of here." I said, my tone venomous as I glared at her.

Peter shrugged, "I'll do it."

"I can -" Piper started to volunteer, but I cut in, knowing that Stiles would need her to get through the hospital.

"Me too," I said as everyone looked at him in shock. "No way am I leaving you with just _Peter_. He still isn't even at full zombie-wolf strength yet." _Well though that is true, something tells me that you still don't trust him.-Gee, you think?- Sorry for saying anything._

"Fair enough," Peter said, looking to me with some form of twisted respect, "But I'd prefer to be out there with an advantage."

Stiles looked at him, his being still tense with nerves, "An advantage like what? You mean like a weapon?"

Peter tilted his head, his voice condescending as he looked to us, "Something better than a _baseball bat_."

"At least he had something." I retorted giving Stiles a small smile. _Well isn't that cute.-Don't ruin it-Sorry if I'm trying to prioritize..._

"Why am I not surprised that you would make a slight against him somewhere in this?" I said, moving to look through the drawers, "Well there's gotta be something in here that we can use."

We all rummaged through the room, trying to find something. _Bandages? Nope…What about cotton swabs? NO! What about- Can we stop trying to patch them up? We're fighting them, not helping them!-I'm just saying what we find..._I groaned as I found more and more useless crap. _Well we could try the morphine or the novacaine? That will just numb them to what we are doing...that won't work...well we could try to get him to the laughing gas…-like they would be still enough for it to take effect.-good point._ I turned as Stiles picked up the defibrillator.

"Hey, wait. What about these?" _Well maybe if we __carted__ it around-don't patronize him- it's not like he can hear me. _My wolf snickered _though I wish he did sometimes. _

Derek just looked at him, "Do you know how to use those?"

Stiles looked at the two paddles in his hands, "Well, no…"

"So are you planning on shocking him with those things?" Piper asked with a laugh, "Not to mention are you carting it around behind him or is he supposed to multi-task?"

"Put 'em down." He put the paddles down with a pout.

"Someone just got mothered…." I snickered with my wolf. _See? This is what happens when our genius shines through. _Stiles and Piper both glared at me, making me look over to see what Scott had. "What have you got, Scottles? My drawers were all useless."

"Mine are too." Piper pointed out. _Did she even look? _"Not that I can reach half of them but whatever." _right….I forget that all that attitude and sass comes from such a shorty. _

He pulled the cover off of this large ass needle that made me back up a few steps, "Epinephrine?"

Derek shook his head looking to us, "That's only gonna make him stronger."

"Uhh isn't that the point?" Piper asked, hesitantly moving forward as she eyed the thing warily. "The whole -" _Let's get the needle away from her….she doesn't look so good. _

I looked at it in thought as Peter turned, "How Strong?"

I took the needle from Scott, "Let's see, shall we?" I walked up to peter, slamming it into his chest and injecting him with the drug.

Peter groaned, "I think you enjoyed that a little too much."

I shrugged, "Oh definitely, but how do you feel?" _Though piper made it less fun when she braced you..._

"Let's see," He patted Pipers hand, making her let go, and I followed him as he stumbled through the doors. Pulling the shot out of his chest, both of us turned to the currently separated twins as scott joined us. "Alright boys. Let's rumble."

All three of us charged, they moved forward, forming the large version of them, ducking and avoiding the attacks of Scott and Peter. Jumping against the wall, I sat on their shoulders using my momentum to get them onto the floor, landing so that I was still on top of them. I shifted, pulling their arm out of its socket with an armbar. As I stood up, they kicked me back, my back falling into and through a door. As I got up, I turned to see the twins up and throwing Peter, but that the group was gone. I saw Scott taking the corner and Peter getting up to follow suit, so I jumped forward, pushing off of the Twins' chest to push them down and me farther along the all. _That fight was highly short and unsatisfying.-Let's just be happy we got away?-fine...if we have to._As I stumbled across Scott and Peter I was met with a glare. _Can they hear my thoughts or something?_

"Well as much fun as you had stabbing me there Stephy," Peter panted, _Stephy? The hell kinda nickname is that? No one has called me that since-_"That shot didn't last very long."

"Oh shut up." I sighed, also out of breath. Turning to Scott, I bend down, "Let's get him up."

As he did, we looked for somewhere to hide. Scott turned us to a room and kicked the door open. My nose crinkled with the smell of soiled sheets and hospital gowns. _Well at least they won't smell us…-Yea, but now we have to smell this!_ Scott looked out the window, so I moved Peter and I to the table, leaning against it as we caught our breath.

"Even though I love, how close this experience is bringing me and Steph, here," Peter panted, "Those twins are really starting to piss me off."

"And for the second time today, I have to swallow down the fact that I agree with Peter." I said, cringing at what was going on. _Me too, __I mean really? Peter and you agreeing? It's got me a little worried. _

Scott looked to us, ignoring our snark and focusing on our problem, "How the hell are we supposed to get past them?"

Peter sighed, "Personally, I think if we keep letting them beat the living crap out of us, they'll tire and give up."

I noticed Scott looking at something, "What are you-" Peter and I followed his gaze, "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…" We walked over to the laundry shoot, Scott looking at me.

"Would you rather face the twins?"_ Is that an option? Because I'll take it._

"Don't be stupid, Stephanie, you'll only get yourself killed," Peter teased, _Yup...pretty sure he's psychic_. "Though, seeing as I don't want to be the test subject for this trip," He grinned, his arm making an open gesture, "Lady's first."

"Of all the times to decide you decide to be a Gentleman…" I mumbled, "But fine, hide behind it as you make the teenage girl go down the-" I swallowed looking at the size of the opening, "Itty bitty laundry shoot…"

"Well unless you would prefer for me to throw you down it…" Peter trailed off, a wicked smile stretching across his face.

Shooting a glare at him, I slipped into it, stretching my hands out to slow me down near the end and my mind reeling. _Don't think about it just let yourself fall…._I started to pant, my breathing falling short, the walls closing in around me as I plummeted. _Deep breaths...deep breaths..._My breathing started to even out again, but I was still panicking, _You'll be fine...it's okay...just don't let yourself fall into the basket. _I watched the room open up on me, allowing me to let out a small breath. _Yes, now,_ _quick! grab onto the lip! _I froze as the opening got closer, my wolf insisting, _Stephanie! The LIP!_ My hand shot out at the last second, catching the side and jerking me to the side. Calling out an okay for Peter to come down, I swung myself into the air and flipped to the floor, avoiding the laundry basking.

_Even with no one around, you feel the need to show off your not so newly acquired acrobatic skills...it's adorable really. _I rolled my eyes at my wolf's comment, watching as Peter fell into the basket. Before he could even get out, Scott fell on top of him, making both boys grunt in pain and for me to laugh in amusement. They stood up, Peter glaring at him.

"You couldn't have waited, like, ten seconds?"

"Well, you didn't shout up to him to wait...why do you think I yelled?"

"How did you even get out of the basket that fast?" Scott muttered, looking to me confused.

"Easy," I said with a smile, "I didn't fall into the basket. I grabbed the edge before my landing and fell to the ground."

"You totally did a show-offy little flip, don't even try to deny it, McGrath." Peter chuckled, clearly amused with the idea.

I shrugged, "So what if I did? I needed a little confidence boost after that piss poor fight we just had."

We turned as Scott's phone vibrated in his hand, "They didn't get out, did they?" Peter said as he got out and I moved forward to let him lean on me.

Scott shook his head as I grunted under the elder Hale's weight, "Well let's get him to Stiles and Cora and then we can do something about all of this."

* * *

Scott and I worked together to move Peter through the hospital, thankfully with no more interruptions by the twins or Kali. As we reached the ambulance, Scott left me alone with Peter, knocking on the door of it. Stiles and Piper made a noise as Scott knocked on the door. I groaned, starting to fall under Peter's weight.

"Hey Scott? Can we please be a little more verbal? He's slipping from consciousness and he's _heavy_." I grumbled, as I shifted him up higher into my shoulders. _Not to mention I only want to help him for so long…and all of tonight has been too long._

"Right Sorry…" Scott looked through the window. "Stiles! Piper, open the door."

The door clicked open-_finally-_and Stiles let out a mumbled, "Of course...sorry." While Piper rolled her eyes. _Well sorry if our impending escape interrupted your Stiles time. Though I doubt you took advantage of it._

Scott came to help me and we helped Peter started to get into the vehicle. "Come on, help us get him in."

Stiles and Piper took him, tossing the elder Hale onto the bench next to Stiles. Piper was avoiding his gaze, but before I could say anything she grinned cheekily at me. _Oh dear lord what is she going to say…_

"Did you have fun playing with the Twins? Or did they beat you up? I'm sure Aiden had some choice swings he wanted to make at you."

I shot her a glare. _Oh ha-HA...teasing me about the twins. It's getting really old really fast-only because of your blatant denial of your attraction to him.-Last I checked it was __Isaac__ I was attracted to. And __Aiden__ is the opposite of him, so I __hate__ him. No attraction whatsoever…-says the girl who calls him and his brother the 'hunky twins'. _I shook my head from my wolf's thoughts and focused on her teasing instead.

"Oh yeah, it was a _blast_." I said with fake cheer, "But I'm sure it paled in comparison to Cora watch."

She nodded in a 'fair enough' gesture while Stiles looked to me and Scott who were leaning against the doors and not coming in, "Where's Derek and Jennifer?"

"Yeah. About them…" I started, only for Stiles to give me a look, "Scott?"

Scott looked to Stiles, "I have to go back for them and my mom." _Shit...I almost forgot about Melissa..._I ran a hand through my hair before speaking up.

"And I'm going with him to make sure he's got cover." They looked to me, and I held my hands out, "Well think of it this way if of either or both of them need cover, there's two people and you won't have to choose." _That and I can almost smell the awkward between those two...as well as the small amount of resentment from the human..._

Stiles leaned forward in his set, "Okay, two problems. Kali's still got the keys to this thing-seeing as Piper failed to steal them back when they fought." _Why am I not in the least bit surprised..._

I smirked, "Well did you at least have some fun with Kali? I'm sure you both wanted to get a few good hits in."

Piper grinned, "Of course I had _fun._" She glared at Stiles, "I didn't even see the keys when we were fighting so I am so _sorry _for not getting them when I was preoccupied." She huffed then adding under her breath, "This coming from the guy who was kissing Cora when I come back… talk about being preoccupied."

Stiles shook his head looking at her in disbelief, "I was giving her _CPR! _You know, because she wasn't _Breathing_? Kinda would put a damper on the rescue mission if she died while we waited for everyone." He looked at the floor, "For the love of god…"

"Whatever Stilinski." _Oh my...trouble in paradise? I'm __definitely__ leaving._

Scott looked at them, "Uh guys can we focus? What's the second problem?"

Stiles sighed, pointing behind us, "That we just saw the twins, like, 30 seconds ago."

I shifted my feet, wanting to leave if they were still far away, "Well I guess we better hurry before they come back then, huh?" _You mean you __don't__ want to get your ass kicked again? I can't imagine why..._

Scott nodded, turning to the others, "Stay here."

We barely had turned around when Piper spoke up, her voice tinged in annoyance, "Oh no! I refuse to be left behind again…" I continued walking, ignoring Scott's hesitation, "Why do I always keep being left behind!?"

I stopped, closing my eyes, _Well...do you really want to go there? Or are we thinking two different things? _I turned around, "Well, because most of the time we need someone competent in fighting the alphas to look over Stiles. He can't fight like we can, and with Cora and Peter he's at even more of a disadvantage now." I looked to her with a serious expression, "While I can take hits while Derek takes moves, I can also be the distraction needed to allow Melissa to get away. With Stiles, he can't move away or fight, so we need someone better than me." I turned to Scott. "And well, Scott's not gonna sit here and have the two of us go looking for his mom."

Scott looked to me as if thanking me for putting it into words, "Steph's right. If anything we need you here because it's better than both of us staying combined." _Okay I think we've stroked her ego enough, Scott….we didn't need you helping! Geeze…hopefully this doesn't all go to her head._

"Fine. Just leave before I change my mind." She waved her head in the direction of the door before turning her back on us so she didn't have to watch as we left without her.

"I hope she'll be okay…" I muttered. _We really __do__ need her to protect Stiles and the Hales…_

Scott placed a hand on my shoulder, "I'm sure she'll be fine."

We made our way down the hall, stopping after every noise or crackle of the electricity. _God we are being way too skittish about this….maybe we should just scream out 'here we are! We paused and waited for you!' and make them find us that much sooner. _Finally as we reached the second to last turn of the hall, Scott held his hand out. There was a big force coming up, so I tensed, taking a step back from Scott's arm. As Scott looked to me confused, the alpha twins showed up and slammed him into the wall and then the shelving unit.

As he got up, they swung again, allowing for me to swipe at their chest. They groaned, and tossed me into the wall, cracking my head on the floor as they picked up Scott by his throat and held him to the wall over me. As Scott was choking and I held my head with a groan, they spoke.

"Where is she?" Neither of us responded, so they tried again, "We're trying not to hurt you."

I scoffed as Scott groaned out, "Try harder."

I tried to get up, and turned as Melissa came into the room, " Hey!" I'd like to try something." The twins turned, dropping Scott on top of me as Melissa shocked the behemoth with the defibrillator. I let out a shocked laugh as they separated, falling to the floor in spasms. Scott looked to his mom in shock.

"She dropped the paddles, "Sweetheart, Get up!" She took us each by the hand. "Come on."

I motioned for them to go, leaning over Aiden, "It's not so fun when it happens to you, huh?" I smirked, giving him a sharp stomp on the stomach, "That's for Boyd you narcissistic Dick."

I spat at them, turning the corner to catch up with the Mccall's. He was asking her her about how she got away and she was spreading her hands out and clasping them nervously.

"He just let me go, said it was a gesture of goodwill." She shook her head at a loss, "No other reason."

I spoke up making her jump, "No way that's true." I covered my mouth at her reaction, "Sorry...didn't mean to jump out at you."

She nodded, removing her hand from heart and reclasping it with the other as Scott nodded, "He had to have a reason." He motioned around with a hand, "I don't think he does anything without a reason."

We reached another corner as Melissa sighed, "Well, if that means I should continue to be profoundly terrified," She spread her hands out, "then don't worry about it. I got that covered."

I put my hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down when Scott stopped us. I picked up three heartbeats and a familiar scent. Scott looked to me, his expression worried.

"Steph, stay with my mom for a sec, I'm gonna go check it out." _I don't think that's necessary...that scent, I know it from somewhere though all this rain is masking it and changing it…_

"Scott I don't think-" He was already gone. "Or you could just leave that's cool…" Melissa looked to me as the tell tale sound of a gun being cocked rang out. "Come on, it's fine." _Or so I hope…_We turned the corner to find Isaac standing next to Allison and behind Chris. The elder hunter dropped his gun when he saw us. I took a deep breath as Isaac looked to me, Allison moving away from him awkwardly.

"Well Scott...You wanted to know if I had heard from Isaac recently?" I held my hand out with a tight smile. "You _clearly_ were asking the wrong girl…"

Isaac's eyes widened, "Steph?" _Wow I must look like shit if he can't recognize me at this point.-Well..you had your hair down and you've been thrown all over the place in this hospital, and I'm pretty sure that your flannel is ripped to shreds._ I looked down at myself and cringed, "what are you doing here?"

"We were getting Cora out and then the twins and Kali showed up." I said, like it was the stupidest question in the world. _which it was…_ I paused, as I threw my hand into a ponytail, "What about you?"

Isaac looked confused, "Uh well...I didn't know if anyone had come for Cora and I wasn't leaving her with just Peter." _Well there you have it. At least you'll always have your hatred for Peter. _"After the recital took a turn for the deadly, no one had said anything."

I scoffed, folding my arms over my chest, "Of course, right...because none of us have phones or anything." _Why are you being so hard on him again?-He lied to me about why he was with Allison and I once again have to see him with her?-Oh right...okay that makes sense._

Allison moved towards me her hand out, "Well it's not like you were calling _him_ either so why don't you lay off." _Oh great and now he has her __protecting__ him from me...This is just __perfect._

I felt my claws extend, Chris pulling her behind him as my eyes narrowed into slits, "Don't think that because he lied to me about why he was with you all day that you have a _right_ to tell _me_ how to talk to _my mate_." I snarled. "And if _Daddy _wasn't here to protect you, that I wouldn't hesitate to make sure you remembered it."

Allison started to move around her dad, one of her little ring daggers poised to attack when Scott pushed himself between me and the Argents, "Guys! Now really isn't the time for this."

Allison and I shared a glare before I spoke, "Fine...but it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it." I looked to Isaac. "Let's just get Derek and go."

Chris, who had been eyeing me warily turned to Scott, "Wait, where's Derek? He isn't with the others?"

I sighed "Well he's stuck with Ms. Blake, who's the darach, while Piper, Peter and Stiles are at the ambulance with Cora."

Allison looked around, "Wait our teacher is the person sacrificing everyone?"

Scott and I shared a look. The other teen looked over at Chris, "I think it might be easier if we catch you guys up first."

* * *

We were back at the examination room that we held ourselves up in before, Scott and Chris going into the room first. The older Argent, now having been updated was double checking the details.

"So then they're essentially trapped?" _Yes, and time is of the essence here! _

Scott nodded, "Yeah, right. There's no way of getting them out without turning the power back on."

We all moved to the table, Melissa, Scott, and Isaac on one side, myself, Argent, and Allison on the other. The two boys from their group were doing all that they could to keep me from killing Allison, even though I had made a truce with her that held until she was no longer after my man. _So you mean never?-Well they don't know that, and I may change the terms when it benefits me._

Melissa waved her hand around, leaning down on the table, "But wait, wait, wait, if the power's back on, they're gonna hear the elevator moving, right?" She looked around at us, "And they'll be on Jennifer and Derek as soon as it stops."

Scott shook his head, "We can't get in a fight with them."

I stood up straight as Scott and Chris leaned down. My arms crossed I shook my head,"Fighting them would only end in more time for whoever isn't fighting us to get to Derek and Jennifer as the other fights us." I motioned my hand between me and Scott, "They were throwing us around like flies earlier."

_Yea it was embarrassing as hell. I mean come on, you can fight a hell of a lot better than that. _I sighed as Chris and Allison shared a look, the Male hunter gesturing between the two of them with his .45, "You've got us now."

I scoffed, turning to the two of them, Yeah, well sorry If I don't exactly have a lot trust in people that tried to kill me just as many times as this pack." I looked pointedly at Allison before turning to the group, "Maybe even more. Just because you helped us once doesn't mean I want it to be a habit."

Everyone looked to me in shock. _What get me once Shame on you, get me twice…Or hell I don't want to end up being the turtle to their scorpion. _Isaac looked at me, but only managed to get a warning, "Steph-" out before I spoke.

Well more like I rounded on him, glad I had the chance to continue what I started, "And you! I'm not exactly putting my faith in you right now either since you lied to me about why you were with _her_." I spat, looking to him with pain and anger in my eyes. "Not to mention the fact that you used Scott to lie. I'm sure you told her the same thing you told me, didn't you? That you were checking on her as a favor to him? Well guess what, Scott was just as shocked as me when he saw you two, so maybe you should learn to lie better."

"Says the one who ran off to fight the twins." Allison snapped, forcing me to look at her, "Yeah, I know. Lydia told me about it. Though I guess that is a poor example since everyone believed you."

I moved to lunge at her again, but Chris stopped me, his voice sharp, "Enough! Now isn't the time for...whatever is going on with you three." He pushed me back when I stopped fighting, "Now, let's worry about getting everyone out of here."

I nodded, not happy about the situation, but knowing that he was right. "We are no match for these alphas...even together." I said, shaking my head, "We need to find a way to get them out of the hospital while we get the power back up.

Scott nodded, his hands on the table, "She's right, it's too much to risk. They want her dead, and if she dies, there's nothing that we can do for Stiles's dad or Cora."

I looked down, my voice solemn, "Or whoever her other sacrifices are...she needs three more."

Chris shook his head, his voice strained as he thought, "I don't even think I know which teacher this is."

"Ms. Black. I started, only for Isaac to go on to describe her. _Oh great. now I get to hear about how hot he thinks she is...again._

"She's... she's the one with the brown hair." He motioned to his hais a he tilted his head to us, "She's kind of hot." We all looked to him suddenly, making me glad I wasn't the only one who didn't appreciate this, "No, it's jus... just an observation."

"Well let's try to keep your _observations_ as objective as possible while I'm still here, hmm?" I said, with a scowl. "Wouldn't want me to be _mad_ at you or something." _Ha...it's funny because you are….even though we need to focus like hell now….-I know it's like the minute he got here everything went out the window. _

We all looked down with a sigh, when Allison spoke up, her gaze on the mirror, "I've got an idea."

_Oh great...now I have to trust her __and__ take orders from her? Can this night get any __worse?_

* * *

"You know, I never realized just how close to Jennifer she was from the back," I mused as Mama Mccall and I watched Allison run past us in the other woman's shoes.

"Stephanie, Sweetie," I turned to Melissa as she spoke softly, "as surprised as we all were at how simple that was, isn't that the sign for us to run for the roof?"

I looked after the twins, then to the now open path to the stairwell, "Right...Okay, let's go."

I grabbed her arm moving ahead of her in a protective stance. I checked the stairs to make sure they were clear and had her go ahead of me, covering her if anyone followed us. As soon as we reached the roof, I ran with the to the power switch. Melissa pushed it up, grunting with the effort.

"Come on…" She groaned as I fidgeted facing the door. Something was coming and I didn't know what..._Whoever you are, come out and face me like a man! or woman...I won't judge._ There was a click behind me, and Melissa let out a sigh. "Oh, God. Okay Steph. We're good.

"I wouldn't be so sure…" I said, moving to stand in front of her. "I can sense something...but it's not Kali or the twins. And Deucalion isn't going to come for you after being a 'gesture of goodwill' or whatever shit he said to you." I snarled, lowering myself, "Which means that our good ol' English teacher gave Derek the slip."

Jennifer walked out the door, looking at me with a smile, "Well done, Stephanie…" She tilted her head to the side, "Though not surprising since you're friends with Stilinski, not to mention one of my best students. And well, those that are good at English can discern a storyline pretty quickly." She shook her head, getting into an offensive stance, "There are no plot twists with people like us."

"I am _nothing_ like you." I snarled, shifting as I crouched in front of Melissa. "And I _won't_ let you take her!"

"If I am almost strong enough to take out a pack of alphas, what makes you think that little beta like you could hold up against me?" She smirked, waving her hand, tossing me into the generator next to me.

I fell with a groan, my back cracking in protest and my vision falling into a daze as Jennifer walked closer to us, Melissa standing frozen in fear. _No...you better not fail this woman Steph! You've come to far tonight to let that happen! Push past the pain and __get__up__!_ My wolf insisted, coaching me as I cracked my back pack into place. Slowly, I stood up, positioning myself between Melissa and my teacher again, I groaned, spitting out some blood, _that shot to the corner did a number on our stomach. _

Jennifer looked at me in shock, "How can you be…"

I smirked, thinking back to Aiden's words, _This time though...he's right..."_Because unlike most alphas, I don't care what happens to me. So long as I can keep the people I care about safe...even if I know I can't win...I will keep on fighting." I cracked my neck, allowing myself to fully shift, whispering to Melissa, "As soon as we start fighting, you run, got it?" I glared towards Jennifer, "So why don't you give me your best shot."

I stood ready, Melissa waiting to run behind me, when Jennifer stood there and laughed, "Well now..._that_ is a true sacrifice. Someone whose love and caring unto others will make her own life seem insignificant in their place...my fighting you would be such a waste of the power you could lend." She shook her head, "No...I won't kill you Stephanie...not yet."

I lunged forward, tired of what she had to say "Then you'll make my job easy."

Before I could reach her my entire world went black, my knees crumbling under me. I felt someone catch me, and Melissa screaming my name, but couldn't do anything as the hospital's roof disappeared from around me. _Apparently, I thought way too soon...this night just got a hell of a lot worse._

* * *

_Tada! So, no she wasn't killed, just like Jennifer said, but she has been taken along with Melissa! See? All that self sacrifice was more than a character flaw, it had a purpose! Anyway, I know that she's been thinking about Aiden a lot and not Isaac, but it's mostly just that one line and because she just hates him...and she's a little upset with Isaac, so she doesn't want to think about him. Anyway! The next chapter is the last one for Season 3A! Then we move on to 3B! EEEPP! _

_I love all of your support and I hope you like this story as much as me! Keep reading and let me know!_

_~Gwen_


	19. Stuck in the Nemeton

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_Did you have fun playing with the Twins? Or did they beat you up? I'm sure Aiden had some choice swings he wanted to make at you." _

"_Well did you at least have some fun with Kali? I'm sure you both wanted to get a few good hits in." _

"_Don't think that because he lied to me about why he was with you all day that you have a right to tell me how to talk to my mate." "Says the one who ran off to fight the twins."_

"_I don't care what happens to me. So long as I can keep the people I care about safe...even if I know I can't win...I will keep on fighting."_

"_Well now...that is a true sacrifice. Someone whose love and caring unto others will make her own life seem insignificant in their place...my fighting you would be such a waste of the power you could lend." Jennifer shook her head, "No...I won't kill you Stephanie...not yet."_

* * *

_Chapter 19: Stuck in the Nemeton_

**Isaac's POV:**

Getting out of the rain spotted car, I moved towards the Argents, not caring where Peter had just run off too. My mind was on two things. Where Stephanie was, and getting her and Cora out of here. _Well not to mention your guilt over your little visit with the huntress today, so that's actually three things on your mind. Learn to count._ I rolled my eyes at my wolf, turning to Allison as she spoke.

"Where are the others?" She shouted as she walked over next to her father, the wind blowing through her hair and her jacket flapping around her flawless form, _Dude! Seriously you have an __amazing__ and __gorgeous __girlfriend who is your mate! Why are you oogling this chick?_

I held my arms open in a wide shrug as I got around to the front of the car, answering them both, "I don't know." _Bullshit. Don't pussy out with that excuse. I'll just sift through your mind and find it. _I shook my head clear of the thought, pointing to where Cora still lay in the car.

"Scott and Stiles went back for Derek and Jennifer. I had to get Cora out." _Don't think that because you're ignoring me that this conversation is over, man...I'm always here, so I'll keep bringing it up until you decide to talk about it. _

We turned as Derek pulled up behind us in his car, Piper coming out as well. _Where are Scott and Steph? Stiles was going to get them when we drove off. Where's __he__ even…-Oh __now__ you give a shit about your mate. Great, good to know that it's an out of sight out of mind type deal outside of when she's surprisingly out of your sight. Maybe we should have had Melissa let her move in with you at the Mccall house and then you wouldn't be going after your roomie's girl. Or you would notice that the tiny alpha wants to kill you right now._

I gulped as she glared at me, her hands balled into fists, and her entire being seething. _Something tells me she is blaming you for something...but I don't know what we did tonight to get her mad…-We nothing. She probably is looking out for Steph with all this Allison business. _I turned away from her, looking to Derek as he leaned into the Argents' car.

"Where is Scott and Stiles?" Allison asks with a worried tone. _Or Steph? Look I know you two don't get along, but __come__on__ Ali.-And he's given her a nickname...that's how it starts with you I guess._ I shoved the thought away as Piper scoffed, clearly thinking the same thing. Well what I was thinking, not my wolf. _Good idea, might have thought she knows you have a nickname for the girl your mate hates most. That would be even __better__ than her just thinking that you're not good enough for Steph, Though I'm starting to agree. _

Derek answered, "Stiles is still at the hospital. He is gonna hold of the cops for us." _Okay, that's great, but where is Steph?! Or Scott or Melissa? _

Piper was watching all of our faces, as if she was gauging who would take over. _Well it's not going to be you, is it little beta? You can't even decide between some chick you think is attractive and your own mate at the moment._ I stifled a groan at my wolf's attacks on my love life right now. _Well it's not like you're doing anything useful right now is it?_ I looked back to Derek as he pulled Cora out of the Argents' car and into his.

"We have to go right now." Derek urged as he held Cora in his arms. He looked expectantly to Piper, then to me. _Clearly he wants us with him. He can't lose any more of the pack tonight, that is if we're counting Piper as an official member and everything. _She ignored him so I moved to the car and opened the back seat for him, Allison's father calling out to us.

"What about Jennifer and Melissa?" _God damn it! Does Steph not exist to __anyone__?! Am I the only one who cares?! Not even my human seems to. _I cringed as Derek put Cora in the car.

"Jennifer took Melissa."

I froze behind him at the door, looking to Allison and Piper, realizing why she was mad. _Real fast one you are…_

I turned to Derek as he moved to the front of his car,, "But if she took Melissa, then where's-"

The alpha shot a look to Piper and she cut me off, "She took Stephanie too." _No...She's going to be a sacrifice? No...No she can't be..._I knew that Piper was trying to see if I would react, so I let out a slight wince, too shocked to really move or do anything. _How could she be? But why would she?-Well she does sacrifice herself all the time, it's no surprise that the druid would go after her. She probably refused to let her take Melissa any other way._ Piper and Derek moved to get into the car, but were stopped as Allison asked,

"What about Scott?" _Oh right...where is he? _Derek and Piper shared a look and didn't answer, _That can't be good. _

Allison got frantic, and I felt another stab of guilt, _You better, she's your friend's girl and __your__ girl's enemy, how did you expect this little crush of your to work? _"Derek! What about Scott?"

He stopped and just looked at her, "Scott left with Deucalion." Then they left. I looked to the hunters, and ran towards the loft. _I need to get Steph back, but I'm going to need help._

* * *

**Steph's POV: **

"Steph, sweetie?"

"Stephanie?"

"Steph, you gotta get up…"

"STEPH!"

My eyes snapped open, dim light making me blink away the fog and the pain lacing it's way through my temple and my neck. "Mmhhmmmya?" I went to move my hand to my neck, but found that they were bound and that any movement I made burned, "AAh! haa…." _What the hell is going on? Where am I? Who called me awake? The last thing I remembered I was fighting Jennifer and now-_

A voice sounded from next to me, "Hey...Hey." I looked around and made out a vague shape next to me, "You all right?"

I blinked a few more time, letting out a gasp, "_Sheriff?" _He nodded and I let out a small laugh, "Boy am I glad to see you…" I paused, "Where's Melissa, she wasn't-" I choked not wanting to think about it.

"I'm over here sweetie...and I'm okay." She paused as I looked over to her, "For now."

I let out a groan, rolling my neck, "Why are we bound like this? It looks like it's a Celtic five point knot around our bodies." I said, looking down at my bonds and then to the ones on the two parents. "Though do yours burn when you move too? Like sizzle your skin burn?" _Yeah, about that? Can you stop moving? IT BURNS.-Right…sorry._ I stopped my shifting and looked to them curiously.

Melissa shook her head, "Well I don't know anything about this Celtic knot, but I _do_ know that this teacher of yours? Jennifer?" I nodded, "She said that your rope was dipped into wolfsbane infused water." _Well then..._

I took an agitated breath from my nose, "Well that explains why I'm having trouble breathing and why it burns so much." _Great, what nice pickle we've gotten ourselves into. _"Before I pass out again, do either of you at least know where we are?"

Stiles' dad nodded as I started to have a harder time breathing and my vision spotted. "Well as I told Melissa, I thought it was a root cellar, but she called it different…"

I let out a humorless chuckle, wasting what little breath I had, "Let me guess: We're in the freaking Nemeton." _Let's hope someone comes and saves us soon….because this could be bad. Very VERY bad._

And with them nodding and eyeing worriedly I passed out again.

* * *

**Isaac's POV: **

When I got into the loft, I saw that Piper was sitting with her knees pulled tightly to her chest and her arms round them. She was looking at Cora while Derek sat on the other side of his sister, staring at her blankly. I paused to take in the younger Hale, who was still not awake and paler than ever. She gasped occasionally for breath, her lips bloodied from whatever internal damage that was occurring from the mistletoe and whatever else Ms. Blake had done to her. _If this is what she was doing to distract us imagine what she could be doing to Steph right now. Because she didn't want to be anywhere near you. _

_You didn't protect her and now she's going to be strangled. _I winced.

_Then get her throat slashed._ I hissed, my eyes misting over in misery.

_And for the final touch she'll have her head bashed in and then be put on display. _I shook my head, trying to clear away the image.

_Bet that your boyfriend-like worry over Allison looks shitty right now huh?_

I closed my eyes, knowing that my wolf's words were true, but I was going to do something about it. _I won't let her die. She's now allowed to leave me like that. Even when she shrank into herself I was dying. I don't know if I could handle her dying on me…_I directed my gaze towards Derek, speaking up to alert them to my presence.

"She's dying isn't she?" _Wow...what a question. It's not like she looks awful or anything. _

Piper, who'd closed her eyes to block out her own thoughts, snapped sarcastically,"No of course not. The blood on her lips is for show."

Derek sighed, before admitting quietly, "I don't know." Piper opened her eyes, and I looked to each of them. _They are being torn apart with worry. Why don't they do something?_

We were all quiet, and so I tried again, time running out. "So what are you going to do?"

Again Derek's response was, "I don't know." Piper growled in frustration. _Well you should too! You're going to __feel__ every second of the air being forced out of your mate's lungs...are you ready for that? Was your tromping with 'Ali' worth it? I hope so because if I have to suffer with you, you better have done something worth it. Stephanie doesn't deserve this and you know it._

"Want to figure something out?" I asked turning away in agitation, with myself and my alpha."Because while Scott and Stiles were out there trying to help people from being killed, you were in here, rolling around the sheets with the actual killer." _And you Mr. High and mighty left Stephanie alone today to be with Allison. Because you were more worried about her than her mate. She is now going to die because she had to distance herself from you and went with the woman who has been a second mother to both of you. You failed both of them. And now you're going to sit here as your alpha does nothing? _

My voice cracked with emotion and I noticed Piper glance my way briefly, but I continued on a role both internally and externally "Do you get how many people she's killed? Erica and Boyd are dead, Cora is dying, and you are doing nothing!" _Do you realize that this girl tried to kill steph several times? Has tried to kill __you__ several times? Why are you so drawn to her? Is it because you want to be like Scott? Is it because she's a strong woman who has issues with her mom? _

Piper had now stood up, but I continued, my wolf letting out a thought, "Steph could be-" I shook my head, choking on the though. _NO! I can't think about that...There has to be something I can do. There __has__ to be_. I leaned towards Derek, trying to push him into action. .

"Why'd you do this to us, Derek? Was it all about the power? Were you bored?" I kept talking, my emotions and thoughts spiraling out of control. _If you were going to do this, then why did you mate with her? Do you __want__ to push her away? What did she even do to deserve this? _My last question was devastating and I knew that I would regret it, but then again, my wolf's was worse. "Were you lonely?" _Did you just need to know what it felt like to be loved and decide that for once you'd be the one to break someone's heart?_

Something in me snapped at that thought. _No...if Steph were to die I would too. I never wanted to hurt her..._

"Maybe." Derek said simply, finally looking at me as I straightened up and started to walk away. _Well your actions say different, Pup. Maybe the little alpha was right to call you that. You're still just a scared little kid. _Derek continued, making me pause from my movements "I told Cora I wouldn't leave. I'll help the others when I figure out how to help her." _I can prove my love to her. I'll save her. I have to._

I snapped, no longer sure who I was talking to or which one part of me was talking, "There's no time!"

"There isn't Derek." I turned at Piper's whisper, "And I can't just sit here." She got up and heading towards me.

"The full moon's coming. The sheriff and Melissa and maybe even my mate are gonna be dead, so I'm gonna try and help them." _Yeah well either way you have some issues to work out with her and the huntress, so good luck and hopefully you'll have better luck then Derek. "_You can sit here and perfect the art of doing nothing." Piper slipped around me during that statement, giving Derek a sad little salute, and I pulled the door to slam shut behind me. _Let's go save my girlfriend…And how are you going to do that?_

"Now what?" I was jolted from my thoughts as Piper spoke, walking with me down the hall. She laughed a little, "I mean hell I don't even like you and I know you don't like me but…"_That is the understatement of the year. _She swallowed hard, "You are the only one who seems to want to do something and -" _And that took me attacking him sister. It wasn't easy to spur him into action. _I ignored that as she gave me this determined look, "and I want to help." _Huh. Never thought I would see the day where you would have her coming up to you to team up. _

"Says the woman who saved me only to hate me forever." I muttered, rubbing at the top of my head nervously, _And something tells me you're going to hate me even more. _"I doubt you'd agree with my methods anyway."

She grinned a little at that, "well you know… girls never make any sense anyway so I'll just call this a truce and forget about hating you for the moment." _Something tells me that was her way of sayings he doesn't actually hate us...but I'm not sure. Tread lightly. _Though she fidgeted nervously when she grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. Crossing her arms she then waited, expecting an answer, "Try me." _Well...you asked for it._

"Well the Argents have a map that marks where all the sacrifices have been taken and where the bodies were found." _Great, go to the __source__ of our issues, this is just __perfect!_ I sighed, holding my hands out in front of me, "So we can have them find out where they're haven't been bodies found and we can find where Jennifer is keeping the Scott and Stiles' parents" I paused, "And, more importantly, My girlfriend." _Let's hope she doesn't think you're as crazy as I am…_"I know it's a long shot, but I don't know who else to turn to about this. The only other two people I _would_ have help me are who we are looking for."

I leaned against the wall behind me, running both of my hands through my hair as I thought of the possibility of losing her. _I can't. She's my world, my earth, my sky….Everything that I said that night at the motel. She thinks I deserve better, but in reality I never expected to get anyone as good as her. I don't deserve her love. I've done nothing to deserve it. If anything I have been a walking talking reason for her to break up with me and instead she tries to break up with me to __protect me from her__. She's so pure and good….and I'm just walking all over that. _I felt my shoulders shaking as I fell apart in front of the one girl who would probably make fun of me for it. But I didn't care. I just needed my Girlfriend back. I needed my Mate.

"Good Lord…" She groaned, "Isaac don't do this." She managed with a small laugh more at her own awkwardness towards the situation than anything else. _Wow... She actually used our name..._Hesitantly she reached up to put a hand on my shoulder. "Listen… I really should be teasing you about this but for once I understand where you are coming from." _Which onE of us, because the human is more conflicted right now whole the wolf is resolute. _She paused. "I miss her too and I'm worried about Steph and everyone else." _Worried is a severe understatement when it comes to Steph..._Giving my shoulder a squeeze she waited for me to look at her, "If going to the Argents is what we have to do, rather what you have to do, then go because we need to do something."

I sighed, shaking my head and letting my wolf speak for us, "I can't lose her, Piper... But I can't think of anyone else..." I looked down. "Even if she hates me for where I go or for what I've done to her, I need her to be safe." _Because man, you may not know which one you want...but heart will always belong to her._ "I need her to stay safe with the family she's made with the Stilinski's."_ No matter how jealous I get of that sarcastic little punk of a human at times_. "And I can't do that without getting all of them back."

She nodded in understanding, "We will get them all back _alive_." She sighed, "Look…" she fumbled for words, "she really cares about you and wants you to be apart of her family too, not just the Stilinskis. Much to my regret of course -" she teased at the end, "but she wants _you_." She contemplated her words before adding, "you just have to decide how much you _want _her…" She waved away what I would have retorted to that, "besides the whole making sure she is safe thing."

I stood there, running a hand warily down my face. _So... I like her now. She's telling you what I've been yelling at you since that day you were locked in the closet with that temptress if a Hunter. _Since it was my human, I spoke, my voice as strained as my heart at the moment. "I know... But right now the important thing is bringing her back to us."

_(Huffs) How diplomatic if you. _I stood still and braced myself, waiting for her to hit me like she's been itching to since we saw her tonight. _Well at least you're going to accept the hit I can't give you._

She shocked us both by rolling her eyes and hugging me. _Huh...wasn't expecting that..._It was quick and thankfully we didn't have to respond, since both myself and my wolf was shocked beyond belief by the action. Pulling away, she gave a look that was pointed. _No one would believe me if if I said this happened._-_So don't? Yeah..let's not...because it still weirds me out. I mean it helped, like I think she was trying to, but still. It feels wrong to have someone else's arms around me...someone who isn't-_ Thankfully I didn't have to listen to what my wolf had to say because Piper was speaking.

"Tell anyone about that and I will find you and…" Clearing her throat, she let out a laugh the threat faded away. "Anyway why don't you go to see the Argents." _So does she think that because she's an alpha and that she hugged me that she can give out orders?-Well we were going to go there anyway….-Shut up. _ "Meanwhile I am going to go out and retrace our steps, maybe I will find something that could help."

I watched as she walked down the hall, stopping halfway, "Oh and Isaac?" I turned to meet her gaze before she finished, "Promise me you will keep me updated, no matter how small the update is I want to know about it."

I nodded, glad that Steph had snuck her number into my phone a few days ago. _You mean that you added it so that if she ran off with Piper again, you could call the other girl? Since our mate is stupidly stubborn...like you. _After watching her leave, I sighed, my wolf reluctant to go where we needed to be to save the love of his_-of __our__-_ life.

_So are we not going to talk about how she actually used our name several times in our conversation? Or..._

* * *

When I came to again, it was to the two parents talking. A I opened my eyes, I felt honored by the relief flooding their features. _Yes, you matter, remember? Stop thinking you're worthless. _

"Oh my God Steph, you're okay!" Melissa bowed her head in relief, "For a minute there I thought you were…"

I let out a short humorless chuckle, "You should know better than anyone that it takes more than this little flower to kill me." I winked, straining against the ropes. "Unfortunately, it doesn't mean that I have enough strength to break free." I slumped against the rope. "I doubt I could even give out a decent Howl."

"Right, cause you're a werewolf…" I smiled a little guiltily at Stiles' dad. "Melissa's been giving me what she can about what Stiles tried to tell me before...but I didn't believe him. The last conversation I had with him I was yelling at him to stop with all of this" He looked down guiltily.

"That's okay, I got into a fight with him about how I fought one of the alpha twins and lied to protect him." I looked ahead, realizing that if I were to die tonight that was the last thing I told him. "One of the last things I told him was that he should stop butting his nose into other people's business." I struggled to keep a sob from bursting out, "When that very quality is probably the very thing that saved me. It's because of him that my life got so much better and he'll never know it." _He'll never know that he is my brother, my best friend...and my hero. I'll never be able to tell him. "_I'll die and the last memory he'll have of me is spiteful words I said because I was hurt when he got mad at me."

Melissa turned to me as I actually let the sob out, "Hey, hey, hey! Where's the girl who won't die that easily? You're going to get out of here, and you are going to tell Stiles how you feel. And you and Isaac are going to fix whatever rough patch you're going though. And we are going to see our friends and family again."

"I don't need to see my family." I spat, shaking my head, "My friends _are _my family. They're the only ones to treat me as such, so why bother with the real thing when it never existed for me?" _When all they did was make me feel worthless._

"Nonsense." The Sheriff said, making me look to him, "You have the real thing with Stiles and me. You're like the daughter Claudia and I never got to have."_I never even realized..._He smiled, "And to make things easier you and Stiles have the same birthday, so I can pretend you're twins."

"Well I _am _a twin…" I joke _Not that Melanie is a better option than Little Red. It's 100% The other way around. _"And….And I just crashed landed into your lives...I didn't think that you would feel that way." _Couldn't allow myself to hope that you feel that way..._

"Well you might not, but you are one if the first people outside of Scott that Stiles has let in to his life to the extent he did." The sheriff smiled kindly, "Hell, you wouldn't even be with us if he didn't already think you were family."

"I-" I paused. _How do we respond to that? This man who barely even knows you is being more of a father to you than your own was. _"I don't deserve him... He's been so good to me and I have just thrown it in his face..."

"Sweetie, I've seen how that boy cares for you." I turned to Melissa, "And no later what you guys say or do to each other, you make up for it in the end. You're the same with Scott. It's what siblings do."

_Well... I guess it's safe to say you have a home with a family that loves you... _My wolf reminded me. _Welcome to the mcclinski pack. _

I opened my mouth I say something, but let out a shriek of pain as bolts of electricity shot through my side and threw me into spasms and unconsciousness. As I fell into blackness one thought crossed my mind.

_Isaac...oh my baby what have you done?_

* * *

_Figured I'd give you guys some cute mcclinksi family fluff for Steph. And some hope that she and Stiles will stop fighting...I hope you liked the Isaac POV because that might help you to understand why I am following the canon. Where the wolf still knows what it wants, but the human might not...anyway! Read, Review, get mad or whatever! Let me know what you think._

_Thanks for your support,_

_~Gwen_


	20. Rescues and Revelations

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_Why are we bound like this? It looks like it's a Celtic five point knot around our bodies." I said, looking down at my bonds and then to the ones on the two parents. "Though do yours burn when you move too? Like sizzle your skin burn?"_

"_We're in the freaking Nemeton."_

"_You're going to get out of here, And we are going to see our friends and family again." _

"_My friends are my family. They're the only ones to treat me as such, so why bother with the real thing when it never existed for me?" _

_"Well you're one if the first people outside of Scott that Stiles has let in to his life. Hell, you wouldn't even be with us if he didn't already think you were family." _

_I opened my mouth I say something, but let out a shriek of pain as bolts of electricity shot through my side and threw me into spasms and unconsciousness._

* * *

_Chapter 20: Rescues and Ultimatums_

I groaned awake, hearing an echo of my motions, which made me blink into the darkness that much faster. _Well now it makes sense...You know given his family's history with this kind of stuff he sure is stupid. Hot….but stupid._ I shook my head groggily as Chris Argent let out a few labored breaths, his head bleeding slightly. _She gave you a quick crack on the cranium too, huh._

I focused on my breathing as the Sheriff looked to him, "You okay over there?" _Oh yeah, aside from the pounding on your skull, waking up here is fantastic._

He panted a little more, trying to look around. He met Melissa's gaze as she spoke up next, "Chris?" She waited for him to fully focus on her, "It's Chris, right?

He nodded, looking around, "Yeah." He leaned back against the post he was tied to, chuckling humorlessly, "Oh…"

"Uh oh…" I smirked, making the parents take notice of my now awake state, "I know that laugh…" _It's the of course it has to be here kind of laugh when you realize the irony of where your doom awaits. _

Stiles' dad added to it, with the typical Stilinski charm, "Is it just me, or has somebody been here before?"

Chris nodded, "Years ago." _Why am I not at all surprised.-Because you know that Scott and Allison thought he was doing this at one point?-Right..._I looked back to him as he started to move his feet up to where his hands were tied behind his back. _Huh...he's tied differently than us...Though I doubt he'll find what he's looking for. _

The Sheriff voiced this, "Hate to disappoint you, but we watched her take your ankle knife."

He switched to pull at his sleeve, and Melissa spoke up, "And the knife that's in your sleeve."

Chris shifted again, Stilinski nodding, "And the switchblade in your other sleeve."

He continued to moved around, trying to get to his jacket pocket, making me laugh sarcastically, "Really Chris you should just give up she's already taken all your other weapons, what makes you think that she forgot to grab-"

"The taser in your jacket pocket." Called a voice making us all look to the now opened cellar doors. _Well perfect...didn't even use her name, yet still the she-bitch appears..._Jennifer came down the stairs, looking dressed to kill and more badass than I would have expected considering her day job as my shy and skittish English Teacher. _Well apparently this is the real her...though damn, I would have tough Derek would fall for this, since it's so reminiscent of Kate Argent….or so I've heard. _

I shook the thought away, trying to twist my wrists free of the rope, ignoring the burning and sizzle of my skin as she knelt in front of our newcomer. "Argent... The French word for silver." She went to wipe at his brow, but he jerked away, "Ah. Ah. Ah." She teased, patting at the very wound she inflicted.

_I wonder if she did this for all of us and he's just the first one awake for it...a little welcome to my sacrificial green room, I'll be killing you soon, but I want you to be as comfortable in your entrapment as possible._

I snorted at my wolf's humor as she spoke to Chris, ignoring all of us, "Interesting how truth becomes altered by legend… When it's not actually the metal silver that kills werewolves but the family." _Yes it's very witty, but-_

I scoffed, cutting my wolf off, "Spare us the English lesson, we know you're not _actually_ a teacher, you can drop the act." _Yeah! Though maybe we shouldn't be mouthing off to the woman who wants to sacrifice us? Just a thought…_

She turned to glare at me, but I just gave her a cheeky grin and she continued, "What's the Argent code again? "We hunt those who hunt us"?" He glared at her as she tilted her head, her face hidden from view, "I hope you don't mind if I borrow it for a little while, since I've been hunted myself."

"And cry me a river too while you're at it." I said rolling my eyes.

"Steph Honey…" Melissa started and I slumped in defeat, knowing she just was looking out for me, _but it's so much more fun when I get to speak…_ my wolf whined..._I was having such a good couple of nights..._

I moved my attention to Chris as he clared at her, "Don't pretend like we have the same cause. I don't kill innocent people." _True, you even have sub-rules to your code that prevent it._

Jennifer got annoyed, her tone irritated, "That's why they call it a s_acrifice_, and I wish it worked another way." She shook her head, trying to get us all to understand, "But think about what you're doing. You are making this town... even this world... safer for your children." She paused, "Well.." She let out a chuckle turning towards me and Melissa, _"Most_ of them."

I let out a huff of breath, "Maybe you should work on your pitch, there Jenny, exclusion won't win you over any sacrifices." She stood up, ignoring Argent now.

"_Clearly_ your little wolfsbane bonds aren't enough to keep that smart little mouth of yours shut." She snarled, "Or to get you to listen to your elders." _Oh...so she heard Melissa's warning...oops._ "So maybe _this_ will help."

I sighed, preparing myself for the hit and the ever familiar darkness to take over my vision. _Why not? It's the running theme of this situation...It was getting around that five minute mark anyway, you just made it more sudden and not slow fade out._

My wolf chuckled, _Always gotta have the last word don't you?_

_Yup._

* * *

I lost track of the time, blocking out whatever the parents had to say. I'm sure it was important and everything but the less I had to focus on, the longer I would be able to stay awake. That and I was trying to keep out the piercing sound of the mini-ultrasonic emitter that Chris had on to broadcast our location. And the longer I could do that, the stronger I stayed.

And I needed my strength to try and get them out of here. So many people would be lost without these people to guide them. Chris gave Derek a purpose and a foe to fight as well as provided Scott with choice advice. Not to mention he was all that Allison has left, unless you count Gerard, but I doubt he was winning any Grandfather of the year awards. And then there was the Sheriff who was Stiles' everything. A Dad, a partner, a friend, and a hero. He was a father figure for Scott, a pillar of the community. Not to mention one of the few people Melissa had in her life. And don't even get me started on all her or the sheriff help on a daily basis! And Melissa, she was a mother for Scott, Stiles, Isaac, and so many more people.

They were all so important and so crucial to my friends' lives that if I failed to do my part to save them, then I wouldn't ever be able to forgive myself. So, whenever Jennifer came down to check on us, I would instigate and pull her attention to me, making her desire to kill me hopefully so much more than theirs that she would sacrifice me first so that they would have more time to live and be saved. I knew it wasn't the best plan, but being bound by wolfsbane and the full moon not for another day, I was running out of ideas. Besides, it's not like I was all that important anyway.

_Are you serious? _I sighed, forgetting that my wolf was not so happy with this plan. The stranger thing was that it wasn't even for self preservation either. She was genuinely mad at me for my self worth-_More like the lack thereof girly._

She huffed, waiting for me to silently cede the thought space for her. _Oh how kind of you, now I can at least yell at you, with__** permission**__. _I rolled my eyes, wishing she would just let it all out already, I had barely been awake from my most recent beating from the dark Druid, and I was weary. _Well the wolfsbane's getting you and you're just letting it. You are accepting defeat, and I refuse to sit here silently! We are a __**team**__ and you are single-mindedly destroying yourself in the name of helping others when we both __**know**__ it's because you are too scared of being needed, loved, and wanted! You have affected just as many people as they have, but you are just too full of self-loathing to realize it. I mean let's see,_ She mentally ticked off her list of people.

_Let's start with people that aren't looking for you, since that is too obvious. __**Jackson**__ wouldn't have been able to be the captain of the lacrosse team if you hadn't helped in in middles school, or, you know, be alive if it wasn't for you helping Scott and everyone else saving him. __**Danny**__ he is given little challenges by you every day with his programming, and you give him an outlet to prove himself in a school that doesn't really see his full potential and tries to keep him bottled up. __**Murphy**__ would be failing three of his classes if you hadn't tutored him in your spare time early last year and given him what he needed to succeed. In fact __**Coach**__ would be short __**several**__ players if it wasn't for you helping them throughout the year. _

I sighed, thinking about how those were people that didn't even really _know_ me, so it wasn't as important...they would be like 'oh, she was a nice kid,' and that would be the end of it. That's all I was going to be. That's what my Gravestone would say. _Here Lies Stephanie Annamarie McGrath: A quiet girl who was nice to everyone around her._ It was simple and succinct, telling nothing about me or what I offered, because really, I didn't offer anything aside from some academic stability or an extra body to take blows in a fight. _Oh really?_ My wolf scoffed, clearly not liking the mood I was in. Not that I was really enjoying it myself.

_Okay, I bring up __**Derek**__ you challenge him in every way possible to help him to become a better alpha. Without your pushing and disobedience, __**none **__of us would ever had known that deep down he does care for those around him and that his pack is under his wing. _

_**Deaton: **__You have helped him to provide help to innocent people and animals for years. You have shown him how to take care of animals just like people. Like that one poor kitten that you refused to give up helping with his tendinitis until he was adopted. You taught him that if you don't give up on them, they won't give up on you. And he started to help you with your own feelings of regret and abandonment. You have him his emissary mojo back. Along with-_

_**Scott: **__If it wasn't for all the support you give him, then he would be doubting himself more than he already does. You have helped him gain hope and to create it in others. Hell, this whole true alpha business is more likely than not due to your faith in him. You helped him to realize he wasn't an Omega and that it takes more than werewolves to make a pack. _

_**Lydia:**__ When she thought she was going crazy, you helped her to see that she wasn't. You believed in her at a time where no one else did and have stood up for her live on more than one occasion, this __**week**__. You even let her doll you up when she knows you would rather be off wrestling Scott and Stiles. _

_Oh, and don't even get me __**started**__ with __**Allison**__-_ I scoffed. How could I possibly help or bring anything positive to Allison, and if I did, it's not like she's showing any sort of apprecia-

_Seeing you throw yourself away to help others it what got her back in the game, dumbass! She had made a deal with her dad to not be a part of this. Instead, she snuck off after seeing you do countless acts of self-destroying work to help __**Erica **__and __**Boyd**__. Who I know you won't listen to me about, since they aren't around to miss you anymore. However, there are three people who are, and they would be __**destroyed **__above everyone else if they lost you. Well, maybe four if you count Aiden not having someone to toy with...but on a serious note. You have three people who love you above all else. _

_I mean __**Stiles**__ has already accepted you into his family. You were the only one of this motley crew of supernaturals to ever give him a chance. You always made it known to him that he mattered. You were his __**family, **__his __**friend**__, and his own personal cheerleader. You got him to open up in ways that not even Isaac has gotten __**you**__ to open up about everything in his life. in all reality, losing you now would be like losing __**Scott**__ or even a __**limb**__. You are a part of him now and he loves you like he would have loved his own sibling. Even if it tends to get Piper jealous, you know that if you were to die, he would be inconsolable. _

_Oh, and let's talk about __**Piper**__: _

_Of all the assignments and of all the screw-ups to make, she threw it all away for __**you**__. She may have started with your mate, but it was all because of __**you**__. You taught her what it felt like to care about other people again, to __**be**__ cared for again. And that behind all that snark and sarcasm, that she is just as scared and alone as you think you are. She hides behind rude and witty comments as a way to keep people at arms length. She finally opens up to you, then Danny, then Stiles. If she were to lose the person who __**started**__ to make her feel whole again? She would be worse than Stiles. She would hide away into herself and never let a soul in again. Without __**you**__ she is truly alone. _

I sighed, giving in, _Not that any of that matters...the one person I would __**want **__to have miss me has turned his back to me and then twisted the knife by __**lying**__ about it. _I thought about Isaac, my sweet and shy and ever so innocent Isaac. He was the one to get me to turn...the one who taught me to love and taught me what it felt like to _be_loved. I was the one who-

My thoughts were cut short by a fiery pain in my chest and my mark starting to burn. At first it was subtle, like holding your hand up to a heat source for two long, but it started to build in intensity. It made me think back to the last time I felt that pain in my heart. _The day that Isaac said he didn't have anyone...the day you realized without a shadow of a doubt in your own mind that he was your mate. Which could only mean-_

My wolf was cut off as the flames of pain licked at me, causing me to cry out and for the adults to look at me in shock as I started to jerk and twist in my bindings. I could feel my blood pumping and my body's jerking movements, but I had no control over myself. It was like someone was jerking at the puppet strings of my muscles and sticking a sizzling fire poker into my chest. My heart was tearing and my mating mark was scorching. There was nothing to stop the pain anymore, no thoughts no pep talks. It was all pain and torment. _I can't believe it...I'm actually going to die from a broken heart…I didn't even think this was possible._

I could barely open my clenched jaw to let out a scream of the pure agony I was feeling before I fell into darkness for what felt like could be the last possible time.

* * *

**Third Person POV:**

The adults were all in shock as Steph's seizure carried over into her sleep. None of them could understand where it came from. Not even Chris, even though the Sheriff had grilled him about it until the man was nearly in tears. When the hunter confirmed it had nothing to do with the wolfbane or anything that he knew of, Melissa tried to figure out if it was anything human. Of course, Chris had debunked that by saying that werewolves didn't fall into any human sickness, so the woman just stared at her. They all did. For nearly 20 hours, the girl didn't stir. If it wasn't for the fact that they could see the ropes at her chest rise and fall in shallow breathes they would have all that she'd died.

So they took shifts to watch over her, to make sure that she _didn't_ die. Not that they could do anything about it, but they needed something to distract themselves from seeing her nearly die in front of them. Melissa had finally given up on watching her, feeling useless, or so Chris had supposed, since her eyes glittered with unshed tears, turning to him with a semi-hopeful expression on her face. Tilting her head, she even let that small amount of hope reflect in her voice.

"Still working?"

At first he didn't know what she was talking about. Of course, he was still working to look over this girl, who though she had threatened his daughter's life, was still an important member of her peer group. An innocent soul of a darkened past and needed people to know that she was wanted. He understands that the only reason she had her outburst was because of her own lack of self worth and felt threatened when her mate had evidently been with Allison all day-something he still needed to talk to her about when he got the chance.

But no, Melissa hadn't meant his diligent work, but rather the Emitter that he had signalling to anyone who would be listening for them. He looked down and noticed that it's light was dimming and the whirring sound that could be heard on a human level was fading.

He sighed, "Yeah, but not for much longer."

They all sighed, leaning back and looking to Stephanie. She was still, well, _still_, her head slumped against her shoulder and darkening burns showing up on her wrists. Chris noticed Melissa twist her own wrist nervously.

"Anyone else feeling an unbearable itch they can't scratch?"

The sheriff, who had been silent since interrogating Chris, finally spoke, trying to lighten the mood, making Chris wonder if that's where Stiles got it from. "Well, not before you said something, but now, yes, I do."

The mother slumped slightly, letting out a nervous laugh. Pausing, she finally let her fear show, having held a brave face since Chris had been there, and mostly likely for long before that as well.

"Is she actually gonna come down here and slash all of our throats?" The sheriff shook his head, making a light scoffing sound.

"Nah. She'll come down and strangle us with a garrote…" He looked to Melissa with a somewhat comforting look, "and then slash our throats."

"Well I don't know...if she's going to have any of us, I think I've worn her down enough to kill me a little more violently than that."

Chris's eyes widened as the teen stretched herself out as far as she could go, cracking her neck as she looked round in disappointment. "Stephanie...how can you-"

Chris stopped, not sure how to tactfully ask how a child that he was almost certain was along the edge of life and death could be so glib about waking up. Sure she looked amazed herself, but she didn't see what they did.

"She shrugged, "Well….I guess the verdict was out on me being in heaven...because this is most certainly one of many versions of hell I would give myself."

Chris let out an incredulous laugh, breaking the silence that had followed her comment. "Well, I would say that you woke up at the best time possible Stephanie."They all looked to her in shock, the whole cellar shaking and clattering suddenly.

Stephanie simple soffed looking to the ceiling, "I think the howls of the wind would beg to differ, there Argent, but I'll take the compliment all the same."

* * *

**Steph's POV:**

I watched as all of the adults looked to me, shock filling their faces as I joked. I shrugged, acting as if it was nothing, and letting out an impressed pout when they told me I had been unconscious for a full twenty hours the seizure having continued for an extra few minutes after I'd checked out. I even laughed it off, saying that Jennifer must have been messing with me for all of my sass and to show them that she 'meant business', my wolf scolding me the entire time.

_Just let them know how freaked out you are! You nearly died, and you're acting like it's __**nothing**__! That was __**not nothing**__! I was terrified, I was angry I was-_

_**Hurt.**_I corrected, having forced the adults to attempt some sleep, since none of them had gotten any while I was out apparently. _We were hurt in more ways than I ever thought was possible, and more powerfully than was ever anticipated. No wonder we were out for so long, we were in __**shock**__. Hell, I might __**still**__ be in shock. I don't know just yet, let me be awake for a few more minutes and absorb all of this. _We sat there for who knows how long before I just gave up on any of the many possibilities in my head. I knew it was Isaac, and I knew it has something to do with the bond, but I can't know what exactly happened or how it did what it did for me.

So instead, I sat.

I sat alone, and then I lied to each of the parents as they tried to talk to me, each of them waking up after a mere hour of rest. Instead, I contented myself with silence and following Stiles's method of ignoring the problem, just hoping it would go away. But knowing that it wouldn't until I talked to Isaac or died...whichever came first.

The wind was causing pockets of dirt to crash on us every now and again, and for us to keep hearing noises that left me to wonder if we were going to be sacrificed by being buried alive as this hell storm crashed on us. However, there was a new noise that made me think otherwise: The cellar door slamming open, and voices shouting. I looked over, too tired and weak to say anything to Jennifer and whoever she was talking to. Maybe she was going to sacrifice us in front of Kali and Duke, and then kill them next to us: All of her enemies in one cellar. _It could be a morbid trophy room that only she could know about. _I let out a dry laugh as Allison appeared. _Of __**course**__ it would be her….yet I'm strangely okay with it right now…_

She was followed by Isaac, which made my blood chill in my bones and for me to shrink into myself as my heart and mark throbbed with residual pain. _This I was hoping for, but now I would almost rather it be Jennifer...anything to save me from having to ask about that horrid pain I went through. _I watched as the huntress ran down to her father, and kissed him,

"Oh my God. Thank God!" She was saying as Isaac went to Melissa. _Thank God you don't see me just yet. _

The elder hunter sighed tiredly, "You found us." Allison smiled in relieved happiness. I watched the exchange, my eyes turning to my mate cautiously.

Both parents talked to Isaac as he worked to get the bindings off them, asking about their children.

"Where is Stiles? Where is my son?"

"And Scott?"

"They're coming, all right? They're on their way to help."

His reply was distracted, but Melissa humored him with a simple wearied, "Okay."

I was about to try and call attention to myself, the wolfsbane finally getting on my last straw when-

"Steph!"

I turned to see Piper running over to me from the stairs, relief stretching over her entire being. _Well at least __**someone**__ looks happy to see me..._I watched in horror as she tore at bindings, uncaring that her hands were now being burned from the contact of wolfsbane. I went to see if she was okay when I was nearly crushed in her embrace. I felt my eyes well up, and immediately felt guilty for all the thoughts I had throughout this mess. _Well it's about damn time...I told you you mattered to people. _I rolled my eyes inwardly, _yes, yes, you're very smart. __**shut up**__. _Piper let out a breathless laugh that made me want to sink into her, however she then snapped at me, clearly angry that I'd been taken, since it was _obviously_ my own fault. _Uh...maybe because it was?- Again, __**shut up. **_

"I swear to God I am going to tie you to a chair and not let you go again." _Well now you know why Stiles had me under such heavy watch. _I swallowed down a sob of laughter and guilt as she struggled to keep her worry and unhappiness on her face. But she failed as she smiled, saying, "I missed you."

The confession threw me, as I looked to her with shock. I doubt she could see it since she was hiding behind her snark and wit again, her eyes glistening with tears she was obviously not going to shed. "You really are a magnet for trouble though. I am afraid Stiles was right about that." _That's my Piper...never going to show how she really feels..._

I groaned lightly at the mention of the human, hiding it by pulling away from the hug to ease my slowly healing wrists. _**No! **__You need to let her know your petty fight is over with after all you put her through. _I smirked, looking over to the sheriff and knowing exactly what to say.

"Yeah, well apparently I learned it from my surrogate family." _Psht….at that the damn truth, I swear, that boy and this man get into more trouble than you ever did before meeting them. And now they are rubbing off on you too. _"Speaking of...where is Stiles _really_?"

She didn't get a chance to answer however because a large pocket of the ceiling started to open up showering us in dirt as the cellar started to collapse. Isaac was working on Melissa's bonds and I pushed Piper to help Stiles' dad with his. Allison and Chris were already up and free, looking to the door.

Isaac looked to me, shaking his head, "There's no time! HURRY!" He was looking at the shaking ceiling and pulled Melissa away as more of the ceiling collapsed around us. Piper grabbed me and pushed me and the sheriff towards the stairs and into a support branch, Melissa screaming in Isaac's arms. I tried to not be sceptical when Isaac's eyes went wide as he saw this, not really believing that he cared, but my wolf shook my back into the moment. "Watch out!"

I paled watching the staircase strip itself away and crumble with the storm, ur one ticket to freedom pulled away in the wind. I stood protectively over Stilinski, bracing him to the wall and holding myself upright with each of the tremors. Unfortunately, all of the surrounding support beams were shattering around us, so my claustrophobia was slowly kicking in. I winced, trying to keep my breathing even as we all looked around and tried to figure out a way out. Dirt was kicked all over, digging itself into my eyes and throat, making the exercise nearly worthless. _I can see it now - died choking on dirt. everyone will be so disappointed you went out before getting crushed by the ever shrinking room. _ I grit my teeth, holding myself closer to the sheriff as a way to control my anxiety. Soon there were only small slits in the cave. _Oh god..we're getting trapped! I can't- You __**can **__and you __**will**__ start breathing right now. _I sighed, letting the faint reminiscence of sandalwood calm me as well as the fact that I needed to keep them all safe. _Not to mention we aren't ready to die. Or at least I'm not. _

"Come on, let's get out of here." I growled softly at the elder Argent's call. _Well no shit Chris! Too bad our only way to get out just crumbled in front of us!_ I slowly tried to evaluate the situation. Melissa was with Piper on the other side of Piper, then there was me and the Sheriff. And then Chris with Allison. Isaac was a little ways away, but I couldn't really see him in all the dirt and roots. I was listening to my wolf's commands for me to breath, and ignoring the man I was protecting's questions about whether or not I was okay, when Chris spoke up again.

"It's blocked," I groaned.

"No shit!" I yelled, but I'm pretty sure that only the Sheriff heard me because I didn't get scolded by five different people. _Right life and death situation, no time for sarcasm...got it…._

Meanwhile, Isaac had come into few stooped slightly as he looked for a means of escape. _Man of all the times for his height to be an inconvenience. How it is I can be pissed at him, yet still worry about silly shit like that?-Because you love stupidly and blindy no matter what he does to us. _I clenched my jaw, my hands fisting into the Sheriff's coat. I didn't care that my hand was beginning to cramp from the pressure, I needed that link between me and someone else to help me see that the room was staying still and not doing anything. _Okay well just don't think about the room, focus on everyone else and we'll all get out of here safely...you'll be okay just keep breathing. _

"What do you see?" The elder hunter asked, obviously taking charge of the situation, clarifying again a few moments, "Anything?"

Though I saw Isaac shaking his head, the cracking really gave it away, or should have. There was this groan and stopped the motion as the hunter yelled, "Look out!"

Another beam was falling and then another and then… well you got the point and I had a brief picture of the entire thing collapsing and crushing us to death. _NO stop it! Just work on helping the sheriff! _My wolf shuddered in horror while Allison was yelling for Isaac -_block that shit out stephanie! We can't worry or get angry about that now!-_and we all dived for cover. I pushed myself into the sheriff, sandwiching myself between him and Piper in an effort to keep them both safe. It wasn't much, but it made me feel like I was doing something other than panicking. _Good, just relax and keep yourself distra- what the __**hell**__ is he doing?_

"Melissa, go, go, go!"

The Sheriff had broken from my grasp and was occupied moving Mama Mccall. It was something I'd have to tease him about later, since I had mentioned the chemistry between them a few weeks ago and have not so secretly shipped them for a long time now. But the main issue was finding a _later_ that wasn't in my head, and we all needed to get out for that to happen. Allison was being protected by her dad, and I had finally gotten next to the sheriff and Melissa only to see that Isaac and Piper needed help. Not even sure how the two of them had gotten separated from us, I went to help them as Isaac started to hold up the last beam, Piper helping him.

"No you don't." The Sheriff grunted, pulling me to him. I tried to pull away, but he held fast, my strength fading for some reason. "You aren't strong enough Steph...the wolfsbane has been on you for way too long, you'll just worry them more."

I struggled, knowing he was right, but still wanting to help. _If you fade out on me I'll never forgive you._ I cursed to my wolf, knowing she had no say in the matter with the eclipse so close. Taking a deep breath, my arms shook from the strain and I felt my eyes flashing in a silent response. _I'll try kid, no promises...I can't really say what will happen...just let the man take care of you...He's right: the wolfbane weakened me too much, I can't do anything to help you. _

I slumped in his arms, moving between him and Melissa in a pretense of protecting them, but their hands were a reminder that they were protecting me from doing something stupid. I focused on my breathing, trying to not think of the change of the room when Isaac yelled over the wind the the crashing cellar.

"Is it me, or is this place getting smaller?" I sobbed lightly, his fear and discomfort adding to my own. _Of all the things he had to say...god damn it I'm going to kill our mate if- no __**when**__- we get out of this. Just keep breathing Steph, and everything will be okay. Just keep bre-_

Her voice cut out suddenly, making me choke out a gasp. _Oh God. Not now. YOU PROMISED! You Bitch! _The eclipse was happening and my wolf had left, my silent coach to keep me sane and not fall into myself when they all needed me. I could feel the strength leaking from my body as I watched it happening to Isaac and Piper. Each of them were starting to buck under the pressure. _Okay, fine...I know you can't hear me….but I know you tried….if they lost theirs too and everything, but I need something to distract from my panic right now…._Gasping in pain, I watched as they fell into their knees.

"I can't do it." Isaac groaned, trying to push himself up, "I can't hold it." I pulled against the parents as Piper whimpered in agreement, "I can't hold it."

"It's too much." He said, adding onto her confession.

Finally, I had ripped myself free and went to help. Only instead of yelling for me to stop everyone followed and was on their knees trying to hold up the beam. After a few seconds Allison cried out, saying what was on all of our minds, "It's too heavy."

I grunted in disbelief. _Girl you are so lucky my wolf isn't here to make fun of you...though it makes me feel empty to not have to tell her to be nice...or vice versa... _

I felt the pressure lift suddenly, making me collapse into Isaac as he fell too. I gasped, pulling myself upright as if touching him would make my heart burn again, ignoring the hurt expression on his face as I let out a sigh of relief. Stiles was staring at us, as an aluminum bat held up the beam. _Jesus….okay I owe him a new bat for christmas, and maybe a hero badge, because that shit was hero worthy._ I sighed, my wolf still silent, but feeling happy to see my friend was okay. _Well relatively..._. The Sheriff commented with surprise and wonder, looking to his son.

"I always said aluminum was better than wood." I smiled as they hugged, looking to Stiles with a look of thanks and relief. _You saved us Little Red...you __**ARE**__ a hero...Dumbass. _I pulled the sheriff back slightly, ducking between them and into the hug. We held ourselves tightly together, making me finally realize that were safe.

The feeling lasted all of five seconds however, as the dirt continued to fall into the space. All these doubts crowded in, and I started to panic and pushed myself to be behind Stiles and away from everyone, hot tears trailing down my cheeks. _I should have given Isaac the benefit of the doubt...I should have told Piper how much she means to me...and the Stilinski boys...I"m not ready to die! Why does it have to be a small space?! Why does this have to happen! Scott, Lydia….where would I be without them? Or Derek? I can't leave without thanking all of them for-_

I stopped, my hyperventilating coming to a pause as well. My hand were clutched at either side of my head, my ears covered, but I didn't need them. Because I could hear her. She was distant at first, but she slowly grew in strength and volume. _Stephanie Annamarie McGrath, you pull yourself together right this minute! I leave for all of fifteen minutes and you fall apart. I thought I trained you better than that. _She scoffed as I let out a sigh of relief. _Yes, yes, I'm back, you can bask in the wonder of it some other time. For now? Pull yourself together and let's work out a way to get y'all out of her._ I furrowed my brow. _Y'all?- Shut up...I was just completely and utterly gone...I can make a language slip. _

I was so glad my wolf hd returned that I let out a slight laugh, earning a look from Stiles. I mouthed 'eclipse is over', to try and explain it to him and he nodded, looking back to his dad. Soon everything got quiet and the room went still, making Allison let out a hesitant hope.

"Is it over?" My head fell into my chest as I slumped slightly, feeling a little light headed. _Don't you pass out on me McGrath! _I sighed, _wasn't planning on it._ My body twitching with nerves.

"It better be." I whispered to myself, "because I don't think I could handle another minute of that shit." _No...you couldn't have, but I'm proud of you for sticking through it. _I rolled my eyes at my wolf's backhanded praise, moving to my original space between the Sheriff and Isaac.

My mate finally turned to me, his eyes full of relief and worry. I hesitantly held his gaze, scared of what would happen. _Really? Out of all that happened tonight __**this**__ is what you're scared of? _I gulped, watching has he opened his mouth to say something. Just as he got the 'I'm' out, Stiles' phone rang making us all jump.

I sighed, falling back to len onto the sheriff's shoulder and closing my eyes as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders to steady me. _Woah girl...stay with me! I know I didn't, but you better not leave me Stephanie. I won't have it. _

Stiles answered it, and I strained to listen in, wanting to make sure _everyone_ was okay.

"Scott?" He turned into his phone, his voice worried.

_**Hey, are you okay? **__Oh shit Scott...you sound so much different...more powerful or something...I wonder if you became the alpha like everyone was saying. _

Stiles looked to us, trying to gauge if he could say that, we nodded slightly and he answered, "Yeah, we're okay. We're all okay." He paused, saying my thoughts, "How about you, you okay?"

_**Sort of. **__Well that doesn't sound good..._

Stiles spoke carefully thanks to that answer, as if he didn't know if he should be calling someone else or not. "You think you can come get us?"

Scott voice changed to sound like himself again, _**Yeah, of course.**_

Stiles sighed in relief, "Great, okay." He looked over to all of us, "Um, uh, bring a ladder."

We all laughed, and I closed my eyes, and my wolf finally let me fade out, knowing I was safe.

* * *

_And that is the last episode of season 3A! I'm so excited! Stay tuned because the next chapter or two (I don't know yet) is going to tie the two halves of the season together. As for what the hell happened to steph with the mark and stuff, that will be explained in the next chapter I promise! Also….just going to remind you that I am staying Canon in this, so that means you guys won't like what I'm going to do in the next chapter with some of Steph's relationships...so yea...just warning you now. I know that kinda give it away, but I don't really care! Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments or PM me even, whatever to let me know you're views on this story!_

_Thank you so much for all the support you've been giving me throughout this story, and keep an eye out for the next installment. _

_~Gwen_


	21. Where do we go from here?

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven. This Chapter also includes some minor spoilers for City of Fallen Angels for anyone who hasn't read it. (Due to the year the show takes place I did this and not City of Heavenly Fire for anyone curious) And that belongs to Cassandra Clare.**_

_Previously on DES:_

"_Where were you today?" "I was looking after Allison. since everyone's been so worried about everything else, Scott was worried about how she was doing, so I went for him." _

"_You know what? I'm not going to do this here." "Do what here?" Call you out on your shit, that's what. Now when I lied to you a few days ago and you believed me. I'm better than that. I'll do it when we're alone...and then I can tell you the truth too...no matter the consequences. _

"_We're in the freaking Nemeton."_

"_You're going to get out of here, And we are going to see our friends and family again." _

"_My friends are my family. Why bother with the real thing when they're better." _

_"Well you're one if the first people outside of Scott that Stiles has let in to his life. Hell, you wouldn't even be with us if he didn't already think you were family." _

_As Isaac looked to me I was scared of what he would say, as well as the pain I had faced during all of this. Unfortunately, I can't ignore this forever._

* * *

_Chapter 21: Where do we go from here?_

It was a mere few hours since we all got out of the nemeton. I had woken up in my room, still covered in the dirt and crime from the night's events. I made sure to call and check in on everyone save for the Stilinski boys, who were still sleeping, Isaac and Piper. I knew that they were the ones I would need to see face to face. Once I'd heard everyone was okay, I went and took as vigorous a shower as my weary bones could handle, scraping at all of the dirt and grime from the past few days. I looked through my closet, knowing I would need something comfortable for what I needed to do today. After a few minutes debate, I had decided on some faded cutoffs under a large grey cable knit sweater. I was going to have to find Piper at some point, so I had a pair of thick grey socks on, my brown motorcycle boots set aside as I threw my moonstone ring on with a bunch of silver and blue bangles. I hesitated as I looked at the pendant I had gotten from Isaac a few months ago.

It was of three wolves around a smaller moonstone and a dagger blade coming from the mouth of the bottom wolf. He had gotten it after I had my dog tags made. It was a sentiment that we'd all survived Gerard's blade and that me, him and Derek were stronger as a unit while we looked for Boyd and Erica. I smiled, saying how he thought it was only fair that the whole pack be represented at some point if I was going to wear any symbols for them. I sighed, pulling it on and moving to sit on my bed. After some careful consideration, I picked up my phone and typed up a message, having decided on the order I should do things.

**To: Isaac L.**

**Hey, can you come over when you have the chance? We need to talk**

I paused, Deleting the second sentence, "I don't want to make him worried going in, even if that _is_ what I-" I shook my head, trying again.

**I need to ask you something.**

I bit my lip shaking my head, "That just makes it sound weird."

**I need to see you.**

While that is technically true, I sighed deleting the new message. "Why is it so hard to send this text!" Instead of getting answer, I saw an unread text from a few hours ago.

** From: Isaac L.**

**Just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. We haven't really gotten a chance to talk with everything that's been **

**going on. Just, shoot me a text when you get the chance. Hope everything is okay.**

I groaned, throwing my phone across my bed, watching the phone bounce on the corner of the mattress. I held onto the necklace.

"God damn it!" _How could he possibly know when I can't figure out what to say and give me an opening to talk to him just as I fight with the words today. _

My wolf rolled her eyes, highly amused at the whole affair. She knew what I was planning on doing ever since I heard about how they found us. Stiles had finally helped me realize everything that I was feeling and I had finally made a decision on what to do with all of this. _Maybe because he's your __**mate**__? Or you know as simple as your__** boyfriend**__? He is more in tune with your emotions than you give him credit for. _

I sighed, knowing she was right, "Well that's just going to make things that much harder…." I reached over and picked up the phone, typing away a message.

** To Isaac L.**

**Why don't you come over so we can talk? Stiles and the sheriff are sleeping, **

**but the doors open, so you can just let yourself in. **

Figuring he was probably helping out Scott with Melissa, or even just the other teen,-_ or maybe, hmmm sleeping since it's 6:30 in the morning.- _I pulled up my book and contented myself with my copy of _City of Fallen Angels_ by Cassandra Clare. _At least I can avoid my problems and watch Clary fix all of hers…even if she has way more crazy shit in her life then me…._

* * *

By 10 o'clock, I was most of the way through the book turning my wrist back and forth to wave my bookmark in a steady rhythm. _Really Isabelle are almost as clueless as Piper is when it comes to love. You clearly should be with Simon, even if he was dating you and Maia at the same time. I mean to be fair he is a dork and doesn't understand how to define a relationship. Also Jace needs to be saved, like now...I don't like this stupid thing with-_

I jolted upward when chuckle sounded next to me. I turned and sighed as Isaac leaned against my door frame.

"Jesus!" I dropped the book to my lap, "I uh...didn't see you there." _No, but I sensed it, so suck it._ Ignoring my wolf, I looked to him, "How _long_ have you been there?"

"Few minutes, I was just watching you read." I quirked an eyebrow at him quizzically, _I mean it can't be all that interesting right? _and he laughed, "I like watching you shut out the world around you in favor of fantasy. Or...you know just twisted truths of our own lives as it were."

I nodded, carefully placing my bookmark into the pages of the story and placing the tome on my bureau. Neither of us said anything for a few minutes as he moved from the door to sit next to me. I rubbed at the pendant with my thumb and bite at the back of my lip. Finally, Isaac spoke up, placing a comforting hand on my knee.

"So...how are you?" I looked to him-_With what exactly?-_ "With everything from the past few days."

I took a deep breath through my nose and let it pass slowly through my lips. "Where do I start?" I said, scratching at my brow with shake of my head. "Do I start with the lie I told you and you find out about from Allison? Or maybe your own lie about Allison? Or about how I was nearly sacrificed and you didn't seem to notice me during the rescue until I almost fainted on you? Or even about that whole replacement sacrifice procedure..." I gave him a pointed look, "Or maybe I should just ask you how I _should _ be with all of that going on?"

I felt my voice waver as he watched me go on about all that I had to deal with the past few days. He moved his hand from my knee to my hand, pulling it from the pendant and against his chest. I watched him cautiously as he shifted to be in front of me, waiting to see what he had to say.

"I'm not expecting you to be okay, if that's what you mean," He started, looking searchingly into my eyes, "But I don't know what you want me to say that will make it better." He shook his head, "Because everything I can think of will just make things worse, or I'll mess up and make you think something else."

"Then don't say anything." I said, pulling myself away from him, and steeling myself, "Let me talk."

_Are you sure about this? Is this really what you want? You __**know**__ he's going to try to talk you out of it again. _I shook my head, not wanting to think about it and just doing it. I stood up from my bed, and leaned against the wide window sill next to it.

"Do you remember the time I told you about how I first knew you were my mate?" He nodded, "When you said you didn't have anyone and I was nearly ripped apart?" I paused, letting that sink in, "Multiply it by a thousand and maybe you can _start_ to understand the pain I went through when you became a tether for _her._" He flinched, opening his mouth to say something. "Don't- Say that there was no other way. I know that you did it for me, and I know that there is a part of you that will always believe that. Just like there is a part of me that _wants_ to believe that." I paused swallowing away the lump that had formed in my throat.

"But then there's the issue where you snuck away to be with her for the day, checking in on her because _you_ were worried. Not Scott." I held up a hand as he made a noise to protest, "Oh, I know that you lied to her too, but she's not your _mate_ is she? I can tell when you're lying, and I feel when you're nervous around her, and I can feel you slipping away from me." I let out a sob, "And it's scaring me to death, Isaac. You told me it was killing you when I pushed you away, well how do you think it feels the other way around? At least I was _blatant _about it, I didn't just let you piece it together while I wondered if you even cared enough to save me."

I fell silent, giving him time to think about what I was saying as well as to let me compose myself. I walked to the other end of the room, wiping at the tears in my eyes before they fell, refusing to let him use them to talk me out of this. _You really do want to do this...oh, girl, I'm so sorry._ I gave a silent nod to my wolf as Isaac spoke up, his voice distant as he started at the window I previously occupied.

"You're right." I closed my eyes slowly, not ready to hear him admit it, but knowing I couldn't hide forever, "She's not mated to me, and she's not you...but Steph, I don't know what is going on. There's this part of me that loves you and that is drawn to you and always will love and be drawn to you, but there's also this part of me that…." I paused, finally looking at me, "I'm just as confused, trust me."

"Well...then figure it out. And while you do…" I paused, looking up to him, "Don't expect me to try and influence you. As much as I don't like her, she deserves love as much as the next person….aside from maybe Peter and Aiden. They could go on being alone for as long as they live." I shook my head, _Stop trying to hide behind snark and humor, just let it out._

"Anyway...I can't sit around and watch you think that you made the wrong decision, or feel like you're being forced into one. I can't do anything about our bond...Only an alpha can do that and I don't want to rush Scott into something and make things worse."

"Steph you can't be serious." She stood up and moved in front of me, his eyes glistening, "I love you and I won't-"

"You won't let me give you the chance to figure out if you might love Allison too?" I looked him right in the eye, "Because if I were her in this situation, I wouldn't want to explore that possibility while you were mated _and_ dating her. So let me save you from one of those."

"Steph-" He pleaded, making my a knot form in my gut as I tore at both of our hearts. _You can still talk about this, hun...you don't have to do this._

"Please don't try to talk me out of this again." I said closing my eyes, "I can't let you do that. Not after seeing you with her, and feeling what I felt. The bond can stay if you want, until you figure it out, but I just can't be with you as well."

I opened my eyes as his eyes shone with sadness and worry. I moved back to my bed, and sat on the edge of it, my hands in my lap. _I just can't anymore...it's all just too much, and- She needs him as much as it hurts me to admit it. And he needs to learn that…._I didn't look at him as he took my hands in his, not strong enough to keep my composure for much longer.

"Is this a test? Are you trying to see if I'll fight for you still? Because you know I will with all of my heart."

I laughed sadly, shaking my head as I looked up at him, "No." I muttered, "There is no test, there is no magic thing you can say or do to change my mind. We need some space to figure things out." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "For me there always and only been you. Though I had a crush or two before you, after you there was no one. Until we are on the same page in this relationship, I don't think there can _be_ a relationship."

Isaac just knelt there, unsure of what to do or say. Or so I thought. "Why are you doing this to me? Why are you pushing me away again…"

I shook my head, "You just aren't listening to a word I say are you?! This isn't about pushing you away or trying to hurt you!" I laughed, "I'm actually doing what you and Stiles have been telling me to do for months and looking out for myself. This is for me, Isaac. This is so that I don't have to continually question whether or not you-"

He cut me off, pressing his lips against mine in a desperate attempt to change my mind. Unfortunately, my mind had already been made up and I shoved him back, my throat burning with unshed tears.

"You need to go…." I muttered, my eyes widening as I realized how badly I wanted to pull him back into me and forget everything. "Please...just go…"

"Stephanie, we can talk about this, just let me-"

"No!" I shouted, causing him to jump back, "Just for once listen to me and leave." He moved to say something and I stood, towering over him and pointing to the door. "GET OUT!"

I watched as his expression crumbled and he stumbled up awkwardly, making his way to the door. "I'll uhm...I'll call you later."

"I won't reply…" I whispered, falling back to sit on the bed. I watched as he looked to me sadly, and left. "Because if I did...I wouldn't have the strength to stay away…"

My phone buzzed as I sat there, and I picked it up, cursing anyone who would talk to me after what I just went through and pausing as I read the message.

** From: Pipes**

**Hey! I just wanted to make sure you managed to get all that dirt off…. Anyway I am going to be MIA for the next few **

**weeks. I got some things I need to take care of. I'll keep in touch as much as I can. Take care of yourself and - the others.**

** - See ya, Piper**

I felt the phone slip through my fingers as I read the text, the room falling silent as I didn't make a move. I just sat there, absorbing what had happened in mere fifteen minutes, jumping when there was a light knock on my door frame. I let out a sigh as I saw the Sheriff standing there, a worried look on his face.

"Didn't mean to scare you, but um…" He gestured his thumb towards the staircase. "Was that Isaac I just saw retreating from your room?"

I nodded numbly, "Yeah...he uh, he came to check up on me after everything, but uhm…" I crumpled, lifting my hand up and back into my lap, "But he's gone...along with Piper." I sobbed, dropping my face into my hands, "I lost them both."

"Hey…" I stiffened as strong arms pulled me into a warm and inviting chest, crisp linen and sandalwood surrounding me. "You'll be alright, you've got me, and I don't plan on going anywhere." I laughed a little, sniffling into his chest as I finally cried, soaking the front of his shirt, "And Stiles too...though I wouldn't tell him that your boyfriend just left you...he might try and kill him and we both know he'd get his ass kicked first."

I laughed shakily, pulling away, "But you don't understand….he didn't break up with me." The sheriff looked at me confused, "I broke up with him because he was starting to fall for someone else. And even with us breaking up, I'm still going to have to feel the whole damn mating bond!" I fell back into his chest, "Mr. Stilinski, I don't know what to do….He was the first person I'd ever loved...and it just hurts so damn much…."

He cleared his throat, rubbing circles into my back, "Well, Stephanie, I'm going to start by telling you to call me John...this Sheriff or Mr. Stilinski thing has got to go if you're going to keep living with us." I let out a short laugh, but continued to cry. He pulled me away so that I could face him, His hands on my shoulders, "And then I'm going to tell you that love is a beautiful but complex thing...And as hard as it is to believe right now, it does happen more than once in your life." He tilted his head to the side as I wiped my cheeks, the tears slowly coming to a stop.

"I mean I don't know about werewolves….but at least it's that way with humans, where my limited expertise lie."

I let out another shaking laugh, hating that he was making this so easy, but admiring him all the more for it. " Thanks Mr.-" He gave me a look, "John."

He smiled, pulling my head forward and giving me a light kiss on the forehead, "No problem Kiddo." He stood up, "Though I do need to get a new shirt before I go to the station for the day."

I covered my mouth with both of my hands, "Sorry...I'll do the laundry while you're at work." I paused, looking up at him, "Are you sure you're ready to go back to work? You've been missing for days, and if you just show up, they might be a little concerned….Not to mention apparently Scott's dad is in town."

"All the more reason to go in." He said, giving me a wink, "What kind of sheriff would I be, if I didn't welcome the FBI to my town?"

I sighed, "Okay, but if it feels like to much, I want you home mister." I joked, pointing to him seriously.

"Yes ma'am." He said with a mock tilt of his hat, "Do me a favor and keep on eye on Stiles for me?"

"Of course," I smiled, "It's the least I can do after everything that's happened this week."

* * *

Of course I didn't know that 'keep an eye on Stiles' meant that I needed to follow him through the preserve at ten o'clock at night while he dragged Scott to our infamous cliff with a bottle of jack in his hand. He stumbled along, a goofy look on his face as the other teen and I just kept up with twin looks of boredom and lethargic motions. Once we reached it, he smirked, turning to us with gleam in his eye.

_Tell me again why we said we were going to watch this idiot? _My wolf groaned while I just started at him disinterestedly. _Because he's trying to help...in his own human and high school teenager way._

Scott spoke up first, his tone resigned as Stiles took a healthy sip of the amber liquid, "Stiles...you've tried this before and it didn't work, why are we doing this again?"

Stiles scoffed, passing Scott the bottle, "Because when a guys two best friends' exes start to look like they _might_ get together, you get the two of them drunk and then you start a session where you get to bash the ex-boyfriend when you really never trusted the guy with the coordinating best friend." He shrugged, "And I figured Steph wouldn't fight as much if you were here too."

I glared at him, taking a swig of the burning substance as Scott passed it to me, "Yeah well, now I'm regretting it, and wishing I could just go wallow like a _normal_ girl would do. Or at least a semi-normal freaking girl would…."

"You two are such downers! This _is _what kids our age do when we break up and are depressed!" He took another sip as Scott and I turned our back to him, leaning against the rock. "Hey, don't turn away from me, as the only human in this group, I should know what normal people do."

"Dude..I'm with Steph, I just want to go home and try to figure out this alpha stuff out…" Scott sighed as I have him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"And I just think you're using us as an excuse to drink, there Red…" I mumbled, taking the bottle when he handed to me anyway.

"Well that's-" Stiles slumped down next to me and I handed him the bottle, Scott refusing to take it, "Totally true." He took a sip, "Well I still think it'll help you guys out to just let loose and talk about it. And you can't stop me from making fun of Isaac."

I laughed, taking another gulp of whiskey, "Hell, get enough of this in me and I'll probably make fun of him in ways that'll make you blush."

And I did...much to his and Scott disappointment. Stiles and I had downed about three quarters of the bottle, Scott only having a little, and I was buzzed and chatty. I'm pretty sure I scared them a little with some of the things I said, but then again, I don't really remember half of the things I said, but I had been on a roll for a while. Finishing with a demented amusement that only could be given by alcohol.

"And that is why it's a bad idea to ever do that sort of thing in a closet when you are both extremely claustrophobic people." I said tapping my hands on my legs as we all lay down in front of the rock, looking at the stars. "No matter how desperate you are, there are things you just don't do."

Stiles handed me the bottle, "Gee after a story like that one, I think if we get another quarter of the bottle in you, they might finally stop."

I shrugged, downing what was left of the bottle, "I think we might owe your dad another bottle," I pouted, "There's none left…."

"Well, it would have looked suspicious if his only remaining bottle went from half full to disappeared, so I just got us a separate bottle." Stiles shrugged, frowning at our lack of more. "I knew I should have told Derek to get us more...I need to drink more." He looked to Scott, who was on the other side of me, "Are am I drunk?"

"You're wasted," We laughed, as he nodded, and gave me a high five, "I'm surprised Steph isn't, but that could just be the wolf powers or something."

I nodded, "I'm not going to complain, I like it, I'm all tingly and silly." I looked to Stiles, "But did you say that you had _Derek_ buy us booze?" he nodded, "That boy is so whipped it's not even funny." _Woops….did you say that out loud?_

Before either of them could properly react to that though, I heard a noise nearby, making Scott and I bolt up, my mind sobering with the eminent danger. _You're welcome for that function. It's something I call the 'danger Will Robertson' sobriety. _I rolled my eyes looking to Scott.

"Did you hear that?" I muttered, moving in front of Stiles as he pulled himself up to be leaning against the rock.

"Yeah...but what is it?"

I shrugged, holding up the bottle as if I could hit someone with it. Instead, all I got was laughter as Aiden showed up. "Of _course_ it's you." I snarled. "What, wanted to come and enjoy in our misery." I held up the empty bottle in a more casual stance, "Because you're a little late for the booze."

He smirked, giving his eyes a light roll as he shook his head, "Actually I came to see if it was true." He looked between me and Scott, "Well to see if several things were true."

"Like what?" I snarled, as Scott went to pull Stiles up.

"Well, I think I'll wait until Scott goes and takes the human away, since you two are clearly worried that I might kill him in his drunken state."

"Steph…." Scott's voice was warning, "Should I stay?"

I shrugged, "I doubt he's planning anything, since he's now on an equal playing field as me now." I smirked at him, "No more of that alpha mojo to help him out anymore, or even his twin to form voltron wolf."

"Man, am I glad that you're not dead," Aiden said with a chuckle, "There is a spare few who jump the gun to start insulting me like you do…"

"Consider me flattered," I snapped, turning to Scott, "I'll meet you guys at the Jeep in a little bit." He gave me a look, "I'll be fine I promise." He left and I turned to Aiden. "Now. What do you _want_?"

"Well I already said the first...but I just wanted to check up on some facts, you know, like the whole is Scott an alpha now, is Piper really gone after everything, is the Darach really dead?" He paused smirking at me, "Are you really single?"

I rambled, not really paying to all of the questions, "Yes, yes, I believe so and wait what?" I looked at him with widened eyes. "How would you-"

"Know that when only your little drinking buddies do?" He shrugged, "Well, your little mate told Scott who told Stiles, who apparently yelled at Allison who told Lydia who told me and then asked me if I was happy about it and then said whatever we have is over, but that we could still talk and such."

I rolled my eyes, "_Not_ that it's _any _of your business or anything...but yes." I crossed my arms, letting it sink in, "Isaac and I broke up..though considering the fact that we still have a mating bond and the only alpha I know outside of Scott decided to skip town, he's going to be in denial about it and I'm going to do my best to avoid him so that I don't take it back." At his laugh I slapped my forehead, "Why am I _even telling_ you all of this?! You've been trying to break us apart since you got here!" I sighed, running a hand through my hair, "Though I guess it's ironic that the moment you stop I do it myself."

We stood there in a slightly uncomfortable silence as he stared at me and I just stood there, finally letting in the fact that I had ended things. That everyone knew already and there was no turning back. _Well not __**quite**__ everybody….you still haven't told Piper, but it might be best to not shoot her a text about it...it might make it seem like you're not serious or that you're joking with her. _I sighed, moving to leave.

"Well uhm...if that was all you wanted, I have to give Scott a ride home and then take Stiles back to our place."

I had made it a few yards away before Aiden called out to me, "Hey, Coppertone!" I turned, a scowl on her face, "I meant what I said about being glad you're not dead."

I felt a small smile stretch across my face, "Yeah, well I may not like you very much, but…" I tilted my head to the side, "You too. Things would get really boring if I didn't have you bothering me all the time."

Aiden nodded, "I'll keep that in mind the next time I need a blue-eyed wolf like yourself to spare. I might get rusty without all that extra Alpha power."

I let out a slightly laugh and walked off, making sure to not trip over any tree roots on my way back to my friends. _Yup...looks like everything is back to normal...but with a few changes._

* * *

_And there you have it folks...a little in between chapter to fill in the gap between 3A and B, The more important stuff being said or some relationships hinted at! Hope you liked it! I am beyond terrified to start season 3B, but hey, I can't just stop here, can I? I will admit that this is one of the hardest chapters I've had to write when it comes to Staph and Isaac. I really wish I didn't have to do this, but I had made a promise to keep to the canon of things. So there you have it...So keep an eye out for the next chapter and let me know what you think!_

_Thanks for the support,_

_~Gwen_


	22. The New Normal

_**Teen Wolf is A Trademark of MTV and Jeff Davis, DES and Steph are Trademark of me. Piper Blackwood and her portion of DES is Trademark of my friend Raven.**_

_Previously on DES:_

_With the Darach defeated and Deucalion's pack either dead or disbanded, there was only one thing left for me to do, and a huntress to hate for it. _

"_What do __**you**__ want?"_

"_I just wanted to check up on some facts, you know, like the whole is Scott an alpha now, is Piper really gone after everything, is the Darach really dead?...Are you really single?"_

"_Not that it's any of your business or anything...but yes: Isaac and I broke up, though considering the fact that we still have a mating bond and the only alpha I know outside of Scott decided to skip town, he's going to be in denial about it and I'm going to do my best to avoid him so that I don't take it back."_

* * *

_Chapter 22: The New Normal_

I woke up to the eery and terrifyingly familiar sound of screams. I felt my eyes snap open almost instantly once I realized it wasn't me making the horrific noise. Then, my nerves revved up and pushed my way through my room and into Stiles'. When I stood in the doorway I found him sitting up, his arms moving erratically as his dad made his way over to him. I moved forward while John sat behind him, but Stiles was still flailing, trying to push away at his dad. I crawled onto the bed next to him, wrapping one arm over John's as he tried to calm his son down. Tears burned in my eyes as I recalled my own night terrors last night and thought about how he had come over to me, the three of us sitting in a way similar to this. The only difference was that Stiles had pulled me into his chest, letting me push at him while John kept my flailing legs at bay. I gulped, knowing I was too scared to hold him myself when he got like his, unaware of if my werewolf strength would hurt him while trying to keep him still, and thankfully John realized that. Sharing a look, we relaxed slightly as Stiles' screams subsided into sobs and he clung to our arms.

Ever since that night three weeks ago, it was one or the other of us waking up with nightmares that send us screaming awake. It was me more often than him, but when he _did_ have this nightmares it was pretty severe. It usually took a few attempts to wake him up, much like tonight where he wasn't fully awakened until his dad started to talk to him. I don't know what he would dream about, but I do know that he was as as terrified of being alone as I was, calling out for Piper in the dark of night. The worst part of it all was that she felt the same, but I was forced to keep it secret. Still, I felt useless as his dad soothed him back to sleep each time and I had to keep my own terrors at bay.

_Always pushing your problems away...maybe he was right in saying that you run away from them. Hiding behind the need to care for others._ Ignoring my wolf, I slipped back into my bedroom, laying awake and wondering if we would be able to survive any more nights like this.

* * *

_**Are you sure it wasn't just a regular nightmare? I mean we've been through a lot the past few months...it's bound to take an effect on any of us. **_I bit my lip at the response my roomie's bff had to last night's terror. I hadn't gotten any sleep last night, too worried about scaring John or Isaac with my own screaming.

_Well considering your dreams usually end with you being forced to watch everyone kill themselves at that hotel, or with the Darach killing everyone by sucking power from you, I wouldn't want to sleep either. _I shook my head, the images still too vivid to think about. Instead I sighed, slipping my cream woolen sweater over a black, lace trimmed tank top and grey skinny jeans. I clipped on my plain leather cuff and pulled the sleeves up to be bunched around my elbows, thinking of how to explain to Scott what exactly I saw.

"You should have seen it Scott, I've never seen him have a nightmare that bad...and as I'm sure he's told you by now, I have my own bad night terrors to prove it." I paused, looking at my reflection in the floor length mirror Lydia had gotten me a few weeks ago, "especially after…."

I trailed off, trying to ignore the misting eyes with the dark circles underneath staring back at me. I quickly dabbed some concealer on and blinked away the crack in my mask. _No, I won't let him get to me like this. We're talking about Stiles. _"Anyway, if _I'm_ saying it's bad, I figured his best friend should know about it. "Just don't tell him I told you. I'm sure he wants to tell you himself, but who knows if he'll down play it or not."

I heard Scott sigh, _**Yeah, well he doesn't like to keep me out of the loop...so here's hoping he doesn't try that. Though he has been so busy trying to help you keep you sane with not visiting us, that he might...though, now I know why Isaac's been freaking out the past few nights. He woke up screaming the other night, not even sure why he was so terrified. **_

I paused, halfway through lacing up my tall, green and brown military boots. _That's right, with the bond intact, there's no way __**to**__ hide your problems from at least one person...and it's the person I've been ignoring since the day I preemptively broke my own heart. _I let out a sigh and finished lacing up the boots and played with the angel wings at my throat, my moonstone glittering at my finger and a familiar pang of regret chilling me to the core._ Maybe that's why he's been calling so much…_

_**Steph?**_I jumped as I remembered Scott on the phone.

"Yeah, still here sorry…" I stood up, putting my bag back on the bed and looking through it again. "How is he by the way?" I asked, opting to stand and play with the fishtail along my shoulder instead. "Isaac..." _Why does his name taste so strange on my lips?_

_**Well like I said he's been freaking out whenever you are, but other than that I guess he's… **_There was a pause followed by the sound of his door opening. _**Oh hey…**_

I winced knowing that most likely announced the arrival of the subject matter at his door. _Great...now he's going to think I'm keeping tabs on him...so embarrassing…_ I sat still as Scott seemed to lower his phone, but forgot to hang up. Still needing to talk to Scott, I listened in on the conversation. _How is this proving you're not keeping tabs on him? _I rolled my eyes, too worried about the conversation to care about my wolf's comment.

"_**Um, are you going to school?" **_

Isaac sounded nervous, making my stomach twist at the thought of seeing him after having avoided him and the Mccall house for almost a month. It was strange to think that we were able to avoid each other while everything was being fixed. Though we all _did_ get new schedules as the new teachers were hired. _I wonder if we'll even have any classes together still….or if he'll notice that my hair went back to it's natural blonde...not that he'll care. He clearly likes darker hair anyway…_

Scott, caught off guard, just gave out a simple _**Yeah, **_but it was enough to pull me from my thoughts.

"_**Okay, me too.**__" _I rolled my eyes knowingly; I could almost see him nodding and standing there nervously, my grip tensing on the phone as Scott replied. _**Good. **_

_Speak for yourself buddy...today is going to suck when I see him...and I don't think I'm ready to see him mooning over __**Allison**__ just yet. _My wolf laughed at the mocking tone I had placed on the name. _You know,__** you're**__ the one who ended things, so maybe the little green monster is tiny bit unwarranted? _I waved the comment away as the tension rose. _Oh shut up, it's __**because**__ of the little green monster that I ended things. _

Suddenly, Isaac spoke, his voice even more cautious. "_**Can I ask you a question?**__" _

I froze, hoping i wasn't caught..._Shit! Does he know I'm on the phone? Or is it about the nightmares? Or is he going to ask about Allis- _Scott was just as confused as me, interrupting my thoughts. _**Oh-kay**_

"_**Are you angry at me?**__" Yes...well no...maybe? I don't know. _My wolf rolled her eyes. _Not you remember? _I frowned, _knowing_ that she was right, but also knowing that I need to figure out what I was feeling about it all anyway. Avoiding it altogether can only work for so long and to a certain extent_. _Scott meanwhile, had, his voice clear and convincing.

_**No. **__Dude how can you not be?! He went after your girl in front of you! And used you as an excuse to lie to her about it! I would be __**pissed**__.-Well, __**aren't you**__?- _Well, I suppose I was, but I think it's more hurt and betrayal that I felt in the past few months. Not that I was making _him_ feel any better by ignroing him. _Well that's because when you broke up with him, he kissed you and tried to talk you out of it...your avoidance is kinda warranted. _

"_**Are you sure?**__" _He pressed making me think about my own answers to this pretend interrogation. _Of course not. I'm just confused and hurt you couldn't be honest with me is all….if you needed some space to figure things out you should have said just told me. _

_**No. **_Scott sounded nervous with this line of questioning, reminding me that I needed to focus on the actual conversation and not the made up one.

"_**What does that mean?**__" Oh geeze, Isaac…_ I proceeded to pace, trying to figure out where Isaac was going with all of he trying to apologize for Allison? Maybe he was asking for Scott's approval?Why is he talking about this weeks after the fact?

_**I guess I'm not sure how I'm feeling. **__Good diplomacy...though I'm surprised you're not in the least bit curious about why he is asking all of this, Scott._

"_**Okay….do you hate me?**__" Oh good lord has Scott been ignoring him too? Is that why he's so nervous and everything? _

_**No of course not! **__"__**Do you **__**want**__** to hit me?**__" What?! __**No.**_

I stood there in shock as Isaac paused, but then moved on to say, "_**I think you should hit me.**__" _

Scott was shocked for a second too, but he recovered, _**I don't want to hit you. **_

That was a highly formal answer-_Does that mean you secretly do? Just like the whole I did not steal a cookie from the jar Stiles meant I totally did?- _I shook my head, more concerned with why Isaac would _want_ to get hit. Was this all so that he can feel better about the break up? That me ignoring him was an ironclad confirmation that it was true? Or maybe he was trying to vindicate my reasons for doing by finding out if he wronged more than one person? Or is he just expecting this since he messed up and Scott was the leading male in his life?

Isaac spoke up, making me think that my final guess was true, _"__**Are you sure?**__" _

Scott, in spite of also being confused, seemed slightly amused by the whole thing at this point. _**Why would I want to hit you? I mean you didn't do anything did you?**_

I felt myself tense, not really sure if I wanted to know the answer to this just yet. _Well it's better to find out now than through Lydia's convos with Allison I guess…besides you don't even know what context Scott could be talking about...he might not even be talking about Allison. _

"_**No, I mean um….**__" _He stammered, "_**Wh-what do you mean?**__"_

_**I mean you didn't kiss her or anything right? **_I sighed, rolling my eyes at how coyly he was playing this. _Or it totally is...That sneaky mother- _

"_**No! Absolutely not.**__" _Isaac was panicked, saying no several more times. Tough his answer was a little _too_ quick for my liking...or Scott's for that matter.

_**Did you want to?**_

"_**Oh Yeah, Totally.**__" _ _God damn that Boy!_

As I heard Isaac crash into the hallway of the Mccall house, I threw my phone into the hall of the Stilinski House with an growl of frustration. Before either my wolf or I could really comment on the matter, John leaned back into the room with a raised eyebrow. I sighed and shook my head, relaying that I did _not _want to talk about it. He shrugged and kept walking, leaving me to grab my bag and then go pick up the projectile, glad that the lumia was sturdier than some of my previous phones. Silently, I followed him to Stiles' room. When I reached the doorway he was hunched over his worn history book, a strange look on his face. I stood behind John as he leaned against the door, looking to the other teen worriedly.

"Hey…" He turned to look at us, "You okay?" Stiles nodded, looking back to his book and putting it into his bag. I didn't really want to believe him since I know he didn't get much more sleep after his nightmare- I could hear him moving around in the bed, and with Stiles , once he was asleep he was still unless affected by a dream or nightmare. The Sheriff however, kept it light, though I could tell he felt the same way I did.

"You both ready for school now that Stephanie's thrown things at the wall and you've stared at your books?" I looked at the older man guiltily as he let my friend know about my flash of anger this morning and hoped Stiles wouldn't say anything. Luckily, he didn't.

"Yeah, Yeah I'm good." Stiles looked up from his backpack to see us looking at him skeptically. "Dad, Steph, Seriously. It was just a nightmare." He looked down, making me notice the box that was in John's hands, "What's that?" _Way to let him distract you when you know he's lying to you. _

We all looked at it as the elder Stilinski let out a sigh, "That's just, uh, files from the office."

I read the bright yellow sticker as Stiles pointed to it, "Yeah but it says, 'Sheriff's station do not remove'..."

I gave him a raised eyebrow as he shrugged, "Well, yeah, unless you're the sheriff." I was still skeptical, but Stiles dropped his hand with an 'oh'. "Now get your butts to school, alright."

Stiles and I looked at each other nervously, but John was gone, leaving us to move to the jeep and go to school in an already uncomfortable silence as Stiles undoubtedly thought of his nightmare and I thought of the conversation I was accidentally privy to. As we left the driveway, I pulled out my phone and dialed one of the only numbers I had memorized. The phone rang twice before she picked it up.

"Hey girl how are you?"

"_HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" _I shouted, Stiles letting out a bemused snort next to me. I gave him a look before continuing, deciding to move around the question Piper had posed. "Just heading back to the torture house we call school and figured I'd call to give you a vocal greeting." _Since I'm sure you've already gotten the text Cavalry. _

_So we're still not telling her about the night terrors and the human's nightmare, huh? _My wolf mused, with a slightly scolding tone. I sighed, _No use worrying her on her birthday….and not when she can't do anything about it. She has her own stuff to deal with right now. _She laughed, pulling me from my thoughts, but my wolf slipping in a reminder that I hadn't told her about Isaac yet either. _I Like I said, she has her own things to worry about._

"So… I'm afraid I am going to be a little late for our celebration tonight." She started, _Shit that's right….we've been talking about this for days now….I have __**nothing**__ prepared whatsoever. _Pretending to be cheerful she went on to explain, "It appears Mother Nature decided to send a torrential downpour here…"

"Oh shit….I forgot about that…" _Why do you always have to be so damn honest all the time?! _"I'll have to make the cupcakes when I get home tonight…" I let the statement trail off as I recalled what we talked about. _I'll need to have Deaton get me some wine, and then she wanted three different kinds of homemade pizzas….and I have to go find her ice cream she likes...I don't even think I __**have**__ cupcake mix. OH! I have some stashed away at Scott's house! I'll have to swing by and grab it without bumping into- _

I shook my head muttering softly to myself, "Should have done it when I didn't go back to sleep last night…"

"Okay first off… you forgot about our dinner!?" _You see this is why we tell her what has been going on in our life! She gets offended when we forget her little party when we've had nightmares of our own and Stiles' keeping us up and an ex-boyfriend on the mind..._she groaned, muttering under her breath and pulling me away from my excuses, "You would. Thanks a lot there_ best friend_."

_Are you freaking kidding me?! You aren't even __**here**__! And you just said you were going to be __**late**__! You should be lucky I'm even doing this with everything I've been dealing with right now!_ My wolf snapped, clearly not appreciating Piper's twist on 'best friend'. Instead, of voicing any of that, I just hit the birthday girl with a dose of her own medicine.

"Keep that up and I'll make you nothing." I retorted, nearly sticking out my tongue, but deciding against it as I looked to Stiles, who was slowly getting more and more uncomfortable with my prologued dialogue with the alpha.

"You should be thankful I'm even still talking to you after that vague ass text you send me after we all almost _died_." Unfortunately, the joke fell flat when some of my lingering sadness from that fact slipped through,- _Well to be fair, did she __**have**__ to have such bad timing with that text?-_ making Piper mutter something unintelligible under her breath.

"Stephanie… are you going to make me grovel because I thought we had gotten past that when I showed up in your room like a day later and basically poured out all my secrets…" _Though this is true, it took me asking her if it was something __**I**__ did to have her knocking on my door. And then I went and had words with a certain Stilinski about what the __**hell**__ he thought he was doing with my best friend's heart. Though I doubt Lydia really cares since he told me she did it to fight off a panic attack he was having about everything…. though I'm not sure about the truth in that statement. _

I was pulled from my thoughts by Piper avoiding whatever I would have to say to that comment, "Wait, why didn't you get to sleep last night?"

"Hmm?" _Well shit...she wasn't supposed to have heard that…oh well, can't deny it now._ "Oh…you heard that huh..." I said nervously,sometimes forgetting that she also had super hearing.

_How __**could**__ you? She was part of that alpha pack along with your favorite guy ever Aiden...and you know, has kicked your ass more times than you hers. Besides, now you're negligence is the perfect opportunity to tell her the-_

"I mean, I'm just nervous about a few things is all. New classes, everything having been quiet in the supernatural world...Derek still gone and not being sure if he'll be back." I paused, "Not being able to see you for a bit. Things are slowly going into a semi-normal state and I'm feel like I'm still missing a large piece of who I am."

My wolf sighed, shaking her head in defeat_… first lie you can come up with. Though I suppose that of those facts are __**technically**_ _true._

I ignored the feeling of guilt over my refusal to tell her, listening to Piper's cheeky comment, "Hon I am only gone for a little bit longer. You don't need to miss me that much." I could almost _see_ the grin on her face as she slipped in, "I didn't know I completed you." My wolf rolled her eyes in bemusement. _Of course she would...I am as always, not in the least bit surprised by her attempt at deflecting how touched she is that you miss her. That silly girl. _

"But on a more serious note - you will be fine. New classes is a piece of cake for someone who studies as much as you do." _And there she goes with her not so subtle prodding that despite being a werewolf, you are a huge nerd. Not that I agree with her or anything….*cough* _"Plus don't jinx us because when the supernatural world is quiet… we are all supposed to enjoy it while it lasts." _Yeah, I'm sure that __**exactly**__ what Derek is doing...Peter's probably going even crazier with boredom. _"Derek will be back soon."

I smiled softly at the attempt to make me feel better with the final comment, not even realizing how much I'd grown to rely on the former alpha until now."Well...you _did _have me at "Good God, What?!" that day when you almost broke into my locker." I let out a snicker, but judging from the look Stiles shot me, it wasn't very convincing. I turned away from him, not wanting to have to explain myself.

"Besides, studying isn't the problem, it's all the tutoring that Coach suddenly expects me to do along with helping Scott. At this point something supernatural would be _welcomed._" She paused, as Stiles looked to me muttering 'what the hell are you on?' I looked at him with a smirk, 'I'm being facetious' After he nodded, I added, "And as far as Derek goes...well, I guess it's just a force of habit to be looking to him for guidance… And I mean _someone_ needs to give Scott the alpha handbook. Poor kid probably hasn't even _shifted _since he became one."

I felt myself get distracted by my worry for Scott, half expecting some comment about how he should learn on his own. From the corner of my eye I noticed that we were pulling into the back lot of Beacon Hills High, and got off the phone with Piper, ignoring her empty promise that she'd consider talking to Stiles when she got back. _Yeah, that'll happen right after she writes Lydia back on as a friend..._Granted it better than nothing, and I was saved from having to actually say anything on the matter by Piper hanging up. Looking up at the school, I wondered whether or not I liked the fact that a solid three weeks have passed with no supernatural drama to pull me from this place. Deciding that it was a much welcome break, I shoved my phone into my bag and stepped out of the Jeep, Stiles following close behind me.

Tired of the silence between us, I sighed, "I know you probably want to talk about this about as much as your nightmare last night...but Piper's going to-"

I paused, unable to finish mentioning our missing friend's scheduled visit tonight as Scott ran down the steps, eyeing his shadow worriedly. We moved forward to meet him halfway, Stiles grabbing his shoulder. "Hey…" He turned, jumping as he saw us.

"Hey are you alright?" Stiles looked at him worriedly, as I looked to see if there was something wrong with his shadow. Seeing nothing, I bit my lip looking to Scott as he nodded, still panting. As I looked at his face, I noticed his eyes were dilated slightly with fear and I could sense the panic seeping out of him with each shortened breath. Stiles spoke up first, having noticed his friends plight as well, "You don't look alright, Scott."

Scott composed himself, looking at each of us, "I'm okay."

I shook my head as Stiles saw through the attempt the new alpha was making, "No you're not."

"But you're not the only one." Stiles looked at me, clearly not happy that I was bringing up his troubles too, but I glanced at him sternly. I could tell that he got the message when he looked down, making scott look to us, confusion in his expression.

"What do you mean?" _That I had a really scary thought and that if I'm right we need to find Allison...as much as I would hate it. _

Stiles pointed to him, looking at his friend worriedly, "It's happening to you too." He paused, still only looking at Scott , "You're seeing things aren't you?"

I looked to Stiles in confusion as Scott looked at him shocked, "How did you know?"

"I was afraid of that…" I muttered to myself, looking behind us. I watched Lydia and Allison suddenly came up, the huntress looking skittish while the Banshee spoke up.

"Because it's happening to all three of you." _Yup...thanks for crushing that hope, Lyds._

I looked from Lydia to Allison, both of us quickly averting our gazes awkwardly. _Well it would seem that someone feels a little guilty about your relationship status…though it is her fault. _I moved my eyes to Scott and Stiles, not wanting to go there. They looked to each other with befuddled expressions, making Lydia roll her eyes and look to me.

"Do we always have to explain everything?!" she said with a slightly agitated expression, making me groan at the other three.

"It obviously has something to do with that damn replacement sacrifice you guys did." I crossed my arms as they still didn't catch on. "You know what? Fine, well to this like we're in kindergarten."

Lydia let out a light laugh before turning to them, "Start telling us exactly what's going on with each of you."

They filled us all in, the five of us walking to the school, while Lydia took point in with Stiles walking next to Allison. I had opted to stay in the back while Scott sort of lingered behind the rest of them. When we reached the doors, the redhead (ahem sorry, strawberry blonde) pushed open the doors, letting out an almost blissful sigh.

"Well, well, look who's no longer the crazy one." She said holding a hand up in amusement as Allison shook her head, annoyed.

"We're _not_ crazy." came the heated protest and I tried not to laugh aloud. _Though to be perfectly honest we __**are **__a little biased when it comes to the huntress's sanity. _My wolf amended as I looked to the three of them. _Though no offense to your skill in picking friends or anything….the other two probably are too. _

I played with my braid as Lydia performed a quick turn dropping her hand. The other three had sort of lined up in front of her, so I moved to stand next to her, "Hallucinating? Sleep paralysis?" She looked me with a skeptical look before giving them a tight smile and shaking her head, "Yeah, you guys are fine."

They looked at each other and I felt a flash of guilt. _They did it because I failed to protect Melissa….though Chris then decided to go kamikaze on them too, so I suppose it's not __**all**__ my fault. But still, if I hadn't gotten upset by seeing- _I flinched not saying his name- _then Lydia wouldn't have been taken by Blake and then the Sheriff wouldn't have been taken either. _

I looked around to see if the the other teen who had been present for this insanity-inducing event was around, wondering if he knew anything about this.

However Scott was gesturing with his hands still on the straps of his bag, "We did die and come back to life. That's gotta have some side effects, right?"

The bell rang, I rubbed my temples, "That still doesn't tell us anything Scott… or why you each seem to be having different side effects." _Or how we can help while we're at school…_

Scott shrugged while Stiles opened his arms in a wide gesture, "Then we look after each other, okay?" He clapped his hands together, pulling me with him before looking to Lydia, "And Lydia stop enjoying this so much."

I turned just in time to see her tilt her head, letting out an innocent, "What?"

I smirked, while Stiles pushed our way into the history classroom. After he'd gotten to a seat and let go of me, I raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, pulling off his backpack and getting into the seat.

I held up a hand and shook my head slightly, "Any reason you're dragging me around?"

He shrugged, pulling his things from his bag "I noticed you scanning the hallways like a deer waiting to be attacked."

I gave him a guilty look, slipping into the desk next to Scott, who'd arrived a few seconds ago and sat behind his friend. _Shit. Was I __**that**__ obvious? That means that Scott and the others probably noticed it too. I mean I know they already know, but everyone-well aside from Allison- was so surprised that I did it after everything that happened. _

He turned to give me a small smile, "Yeah, and something tells me it has something to do with why you threw your phone at the wall this morning."

I glared at him, pulling my notebook and textbook out of my bag as Scott looked to me guiltily. "I'm so sorry about that, I should have hung up."

I shook away Stiles' look of concern, and turned to Scott with a wave of my hand, "Don't worry about it." I offered him a small smile, "Besides, you made up for it by tossing him into the wall."

We both laughed, and turned to the front of the room as the new teacher turned from finishing his writing on the chalkboard, signaling the beginning of class. "Good morning, everyone. My name is Mr. Yukimura. I'll be taking over for your previous History Teacher. My family and I moved here three weeks ago."

As he now stood in front of his desk, I couldn't help but feel that his name sounded familiar. _Wait don't we have math with a girl with the same last name? What was her name…_ "I'm sure, by now, you all know my daughter, Kira."_ That's it! Kira, the really shy girl with the gorgeously long black hair that reminds you of Piper. _"Or you might not since she's never actually mentioned anyone from school. Or brought a friend home for that matter."

Though he was trying to help, I heard a sigh as a head hit the table, making most of the class turn to look at her. _Oh no...she's in this class? Poor thing, I would hate it if my parent did that to me._ As a few students laughed, she looked around, giving only a shy smile in return. I gave a small smile and wave which helped her relax, but when I turned back to Scott, I noticed she hadn't even really been looking at me.

Mr Yukimura continued unfaced, "Either way, there she is. Now, let's begin with American History at the turn of the 20th century."

I smirked, tapping Scott's shoulder and making him pay attention, but not missing the small smile on his face as he did. _Well maybe she'll be just what he needs to move on…Now if only I can figure something out for myself…_

* * *

I sighed as I followed Scott and Stiles out of the classroom. Class had been particularly boring, but I stayed by the door as the other two moved ahead, wanting to talk to the new girl. _Might as well let someone welcome her to Beacon Hills...I'm surprised no one really has yet. _As she walked out, noticed she was being followed by her dad, making me stay in my spot as she tried to get away from him.

He reached her though, an apologetic tone in his voice as he talked to her, "I thought you said you wanted to make friends."

Kira gripped her shoulder straps and snapped, "Not like that." _Yeah…you probably lost cool dad points for that one..._

He sighed, clearly not understanding, "You said you wanted to be noticed."

Kira glared at him, then looked down, "I could set myself on fire and be noticed." _Well that's a little drastic don't you think?"_

"Well, then you'd be dead."

"Exactly." She snapped, looking away from him and pausing.I followed her gaze as she looked towards Scott and Stiles and her dad called back for her.

I followed her as she took a few steps forward and I tapped her shoulder, "Hey, you're the new girl Kira, right?"

She looked to me, looking behind me, "If my dad sent you after me-"

"No trust me….I just happened to see the conversation." I waved my hands in front of my hand hurriedly. "My name's Stephanie, and...I just wanted to say 'welcome to Beacon Hills' and if you have any questions to just call or text me." I handed her a piece of paper with my number on it. "I'm sorta an adoptive child of the sheriff and have been a native her since birth, so…" I shrugged. "I just wanted to help out…"

She took the number, smiling shyly, "Thanks…"

"No problem." I smiled, "Also, I'm good friends with the cute guy you were looking at from class. His name's Scott, and he's really nice." She flushed looking back towards him, "You should totally talk to him sometime. He's an amazing guy."

As she opened her mouth to respond I caught the two of them moving around the hallway frantically. Looking to Kira apologetically I pointed back towards them, "And I just realized that I left something with my friend Stiles that I really need for class. So it was really nice to meet, you, and I'll see you around!"

I took a few slow steps backwards, letting the crowd hide me before running, not even noticing if she said anything in response. I reached the the room they went into and saw Scott pushing away some desks as he tried to get away from us, his jacket on the floor next to Stiles.

"What's going on?!" I looked to Stiles, but he just shook his head, looking worriedly at Scott.

"I don't know what's going to happen. Get back!" Scott grunted, his face strained with fear._Wait has he not shifted since becoming an alpha? How did he- _"

We watched as Scott stood there, and looked to us before jamming his claws into his palms, and blood falling to the looked at him nervously and I rushed over as Scott fell to his knees, letting out a sigh as he became human again.

"Oh my god! Scott! Why would you do that." I pulled open his hands, grabbing a rag from my purse and wiping at the blood. He panted a little looking to Stiles, who had knelt down next to me, his backpack discarded.

"Pain makes you human." I gave him a look, going to the other hand.

"That doesn't mean that you just tear into your hands like that...you should have been able to reign it in another way." I ran my hand up my arm, and shook my head, "Is anyone else getting the sinking feeling that supernaturally screwed is starting to become our new normal?"

Scott shook his head, at a loss while Stiles looked from the walls to Scott. "Scott, this isn't just in our heads. This is real. And it's starting to get bad for me too." I looked to him nervously while he looked down, wondering if he'll finally admit what's going on, "I'm not just having nightmares. I'm having dreams where I have to literally scream myself awake. And sometimes I'm not even sure if I'm actually ever waking up."

My eyes widened as Scott looked at him confused, "What do you mean?"

\"Stiles…." I looked to him, "Do you think you're dreaming now?"

He sighed, looking into his hands before explaining, "Do you know how you can tell if you're dreaming?" We looked into his eyes, trying to think, "You can't read in dreams. More and more, the past few days, I've been having trouble reading." He gestured lightly with his hands, as he looked from them up to us, "It's like I can't see the words. I can't put the letters in order."

"Your book…" I gasped thinking back to when he was staring at it this morning.

Stiles nodded while Scott spoke to him, "Like even now?"

Stiles shook his head and stood up, looking around the room, a look of terror spreading through his features. "I can't read a thing."

* * *

_That's the beginning of 3B! Hope you enjoyed! Let me know as always! I really loved the scene with Scott and Isaac so I just __**had**__ to have Steph be there somehow haha._

_Anyway, thanks as always for reading!_

_~Gwen_


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